My Renesmee The Choice
by DazzledbyJake
Summary: Ever wonder how Edward felt as he held Renesmee for the first time? What about when she fell in love? Ever wonder how Renesmee felt toward her father & eventually Jacob? This story answers it all & more!
1. Chapter 1

**My Renesmee/The Choice **

_Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight. I like to think I own Jacob, but I don't. Enjoy this little look into Edward & Renesmee's relationship._

**Chapter 1: First Sight (Edward's POV)**

The day you were born was one of the best and worst days of my existence. Your mother was dying, and I could hear the faint drumming of her heartbeat as life slowly slipped away from her. I could not bear the thought of losing her after all we had been through together, after we had fought so hard to be together in spite of the monster I was. I could not bear the heartache and rage I would feel to lose her over something that I had done to her, something I once believed to be impossible. I had given her _you_, a tiny being who she wanted with all her heart and soul. She was willing to die so that you might live.

I knew in the first moment I held you in my arms and softly whispered your sweet name that I could not let her go. I had to save her even if it meant exchanging her fragile, human life for an immortal one.

After doing all that I could to save her, I called downstairs to Jacob, whose thoughts were unreadable and incoherent at the time, and asked him to stay by your mother's side while I went to Rosalie. She had taken you away from the bloody nightmare that we had all just endured. I found her quickly; she was rocking you gently on the large sofa in the living room.

Rosalie's eyes met mine, and I could read only a single, emotional thought.

_Edward, she's . . ._

For the first time in the many years I had known her, Rosalie was lost for words.  
Then, after a few seconds, she spoke.

"Do you want to hold your daughter?"

_My daughter._ How my heart thrilled at those two words.

I cautiously sauntered over to the sofa, not able to take my eyes off of you. I could hear the loud thrumming of your heart and smell the sweetest scent, both human and immortal, as it penetrated every fiber of my being. With the most grace I had ever seen her display, Rosalie held you up and placed you softly into my cold, stone arms. The warmth of your tiny body was exhilarating, and I saw your eyes focus on me immediately. Those haunting, angelic brown eyes—your mother's eyes—peered up at me in wonder, and you were the most beautiful creature I had ever beheld.

A surge of emotions flooded through my immortal being—a mixture of love, joy, hope, fear, and most of all completeness. I had become a father, and I knew I would never be the same again.

Suddenly, you did something I never expected a newborn babe to do. You lifted your sweet palm and pressed it tenderly to my right cheek. Your every thought of your mother, Rosalie, and even Jacob, raced through my mind, and I knew in that moment that you felt the same way about me.

Rosalie gently put her arm about my shoulders and gave me a light squeeze—the most affection she had ever shown me.

_Thank you, Edward._ It was her only thought, and she gave us both a smile. Her pale visage looked as if it could have been filled with tears as she turned and swiftly exited the room.

I looked back down and smiled at you with my crooked grin. My daughter, my beautiful daughter—the creature I had loathed and did not want to ever see the light of day—was now in my arms. You were perfect, pure, and true. I closed my eyes, savoring this life-changing moment, sealing it within the chambers of my mind.

God was real. I had been skeptical until that moment. I believed myself to be a monster, who did not deserve to exist, who did not deserve anything but eternal damnation. But God was real. He had given me your mother, my Bella, the one thing I have never deserved, and now _you_. You were worth every thing we had endured.

My beautiful, sweet one. My Renesmee.


	2. Chapter 2

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

_Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Edward, Bella, Jacob, and all of Twilight. I wish Jacob was mine._

**Chapter 2: Imprint (Edward's POV)**

Someone had now entered the room. Someone to whom I would ever be grateful. He was there; he never gave up on your mother. He scent was unmistakable.

I turned to thank him, but his racing thoughts interrupted that perfect moment. My smile began to fade.

"Edward," Jacob said firmly. "We need to talk."

But I already knew what he was about to confess. Anger boiled up inside of me. I felt the venom as it began to overflow my mouth, and I heard myself growl at him with the rage of a protective mother lion.

"Edward! Let me explain!" Jacob screeched, suddenly realizing that I knew his every thought.

Discerning the ever-growing tension, Rosalie quickly entered the room and, in a blur of a movement, stripped you from my arms. I could sense Alice and Jasper's alarm as well, and they suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.

"How could you, mongrel?" I crouched down a few feet from him about to pounce, forgetting the world around me. "How could _you_ imprint on my daughter?"

"Edward! You know what Bella told you! I couldn't help it! It just happened!" Jacob tried to defend himself to no avail.

_Good, they're finally going to fight_, Rosalie's thoughts were almost shouting. _Damn, Emmett's going to miss it!_

"First, you make a play for my wife and now--" I growled at him with the blazing heat of a thousand suns.

"I wasn't the one who practically threw her into my bed a few days ago!" Jacob's repulsive stench was getting stronger. He would phase at any moment.

"You, dog! After all we've been through today, how _dare_ you bring that up?" I lunged at him with all the strength I could conjure.

It took Jacob only that split second to phase, and his sharpened claws began ripping and shredding every article of clothing I had. I wanted to sink my teeth into his flesh and rip out his still-beating heart. I had never felt so much rage in my entire existence. Not even when James and Victoria had threatened to murder your mother.

_Filthy bloodsucker!_ His mind was screaming at me, and then--another soft, musical voice echoed from across the room. A still, sweet voice was pleading at me.

_Daddy_, it called. _Please don't hurt Jacob._

I looked up from the beast beneath me and saw your heartbroken face as it peered at me from behind Rosalie's embrace.

_Don't hurt him, please._ Your thoughts gently spoke again.

I released Jacob at once, stood up, and gazed at you in awe. A few minutes ago I was willing to give you anything and everything you desired. Now, there I was preparing to defend you against the world, against anyone I felt would bring you harm. And yet, you told me to stop. I found myself at the mercy of your desperate pleas.

_Jacob told me that he loves me, too, Daddy._ _He won't hurt me._ Your thoughts melted me.

I turned back to behold a now human Jacob as he lay naked and exhausted on the floor.

"Why'd you stop, leech?" He glared up at me. "I was just gettin' started!"

Rosalie's thoughts wondered the same; she was clearly disappointed. I could feel Jasper relax beside Alice, who instantly began putting together new designer outfits for your mother in her head.

"Let's just say something, or someone, told me to stop." I glanced back at you, hearing your heart return to its beautiful rhythm. I had given up so easily. "I can't fight you, Jacob."

No one spoke for what seemed like hours. Then, I turned to Jacob and ordered, "Let's get some clothes on and _then_, we'll talk."


	3. Chapter 3

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 3: Compromise (Edward's POV)**

I never liked Jacob Black. He was of course a werewolf and by definition my loathed enemy. In order to escape exposure, our family had made a treaty with his tribe ages ago to stay out of La Push. However, I had to tolerate him--he had been there for your mother. He had dearly loved her and cared for her during the darkest time in her life—those few months I let my stupidity rule my every action, those dire days when I left her. He, with the help of the other wolves, had saved her from being ravaged by Laurent and had aided in the efficacious pursuit of Victoria. Jacob had become sort of a _brother_ to me or a "comrade in arms" so to speak. In fact, he was her Jacob, her best friend, someone who, like myself, would have readily traded his very life for hers.

"Okay," I calmly began as Jacob and I now sat opposite around the grand, oval table in the dining room. "Explain."

"I don't know how to begin, Edward." Jacob cleared his throat, staring almost anxiously at his oversized hands.

_Ick! I'm wearing that oaf's reeking clothes again_, I heard Jacob's mind remark. I had provided him with some of Emmett's cast-offs. Those that Alice had put aside to donate to charity several months ago—the largest T-shirt I could find and stretchy, athletic shorts. They were still too small for his massive, overgrown form. He shuddered slightly.

"Love at first sight?" I questioned, ignoring his thoughts on donning vampire fashion. "Am I right?"

_Not exactly._ Jacob looked up, his brawny biceps angrily protruding from the sleeves of Emmett's _Save the Olympic Wolf_ shirt. The irony made me snort back a light chuckle.

"Then, what exactly is it then?" I demanded, tightening my stone hands into fists. I successfully fought back my urge to lunge at him once more. He was giving me nothing.

"Listen, leech. I don't _love_ your daughter like your twisted mind may think." Jacob's face scowled at me. "I just know that Nessie is more important to me now than anyone else."

"What did you just call her?" I stood up, so that I could tower over him for once. My suppressed agitation was starting to return. "How dare you nickname my daughter after a monster!"

"Geez, take it easy, Edward." He tried to calm me down, gesturing his gigantic palms downward. "I didn't mean any offense."

_Or maybe I did._ Jacob then smirked at me. I slammed my right fist down on the table, branding it with a slight crack.

"Sorry." Jacob snickered. "Sit back down please." Then, he added, "For _her_?"

Remembering your sweet, angelic voice, I unclenched my fists and sat back down in my chair. I swallowed my anger along with my pride and pondered his earlier statement.

"And the love you felt for Bella, is it still there?" I finally managed to ask.

"Yes, but--," Jacob paused as if searching for the right words. "It's different now. Of course, I will always love Bella. She's my best friend—and now she's, well, the mother of my future wife." His mouth formed a wide grin, almost tauntingly.

"But I thought you loathed Renesmee—that you wanted her dead. Where did those feelings go all of a sudden?"

_I did_, his thoughts confirmed. After a few moments, he spoke again, "But the first moment I looked into her eyes, I knew I would never love anyone as much as I love her."

"What if she doesn't want you—when she's old enough to return your feelings?"

_I'll cross that bridge when I get there._ Jacob's shoulders shrugged. "For now, I plan to be here for her, just like Quil is for Claire. I don't _ever_ want to be away from her."

"What if I don't let you—or better yet, what if _Bella_ doesn't let you?" I knew your mother; she was not going to like this revelation either.

"I think she'll understand," Jacob responded, and I knew he whole-heartedly believed it.

I flashed him a brief look of doubt, and he continued, "You know how Bella wants me around, how she wants me in her life? Like family?"

"I never understood it, but yes?"

"Well, now, she can—just not how I always intended."

Jacob had a valid point there. Your mother would want him in her life when she awoke to her new immortal existence. Of course, she would want her best friend, but I knew my Bella better than anyone. She would be furious with him for imprinting on you, our daughter. Being a newborn vampire would only intensify her indignation.

But then, again, your mother had always surprised me in the past.

"Okay, Jacob," I began to bargain with him. "I'm going to let _you_ tell Bella when the time is right."

_Agreed._ He nodded.

"And we don't exactly know the length of Renesmee's mortality yet, but if she matures to eighteen, you may tell her also, but not a second before. That way she can decide for herself." I cringed at the thought of losing you some day. You _were_ half-human; it had not even crossed my mind until that instant.

"Scout's honor." Jacob jokingly held up his right palm. Then, he was serious, "So, are you going to let me be involved in her life?"

"If it makes her happy."

"Who? Bella or Ness—I mean, Renesmee?"

I stared straight into his Quileute eyes and with decisive clarification answered, "Both."


	4. Chapter 4

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 4: Family (Edward's POV)**

"Bella, love?" I humbly knelt beside the now-clean operating table, clutching your mother's pale, right hand. "I love you."

_Carlisle and the others are almost here._ I peered up from your mother's face to acknowledge Alice's thought. She was standing completely motionless as stone, peering out the window toward the driveway. Rosalie sat across from her, carefully supervising Jacob as he held you for the first time. Of course, she was livid, but she was not letting you out of her sight. You were sleeping peacefully in Jacob's arms.

"I'll go tell Jasper," Alice said, and with that, breezily exited the room.

I said nothing in response. I kept my full, undivided attention on your mother. She was enduring the three-day, terrifying sleep that would transform her into an immortal. I knew she was experiencing painful, ever-growing agony. I knew she felt as if she were on fire, being tortured beyond mercy, and suffering the horrifying sensation of dying over and over again. It violently rocked me down to the core of my being.

"Bella, I'm so sorry." If a vampire could cry, I was weeping in that moment. Her rigid, limp body lay so utterly still—I agonized over whether I had done the job correctly. "I know you're in _so_ much pain right now. I wish I could take your place."

I leaned over her still-beautiful visage and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Grasping her palm tightly once more, I lay my head down on the makeshift bed beside hers and gently whispered into her ear.

"Bella, love, we have a daughter," I started, shutting out the world. "She's _perfect_ and she has your lovely eyes."

For a fleeting moment, I thought that she had stirred. But it was only wishful thinking. She lay absolutely still. I wondered if she could hear my calming words. I hoped they brought her some solace amongst the consuming fire raging within.

"I never thought I'd be a father even when I was human, but now, when I look into Renesmee's eyes, I know this was meant to be—the three of us, a _family_. Bella, we're a family. How could I ask for more?" My voice was soft and low. I wished I could read her thoughts more than ever at that moment. But, then again, maybe I didn't.

"Edward!" Carlisle burst through the wooden door, startling Rosalie, Jacob, and me. I would have read his thoughts and knew the moment he had arrived, but I was totally absorbed in your mother.

"Carlisle!" I practically leapt from my chair, throwing my arms around him. "It's over. Bella's—_sleeping_."

Carlisle returned my embrace and then hurriedly ventured to your mother's side. Esme, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper, entered the room together right behind him.

_You're a father, Edward._ Esme's mind was filled with elation, and she looked up at me with those motherly eyes. She hugged me more adamantly than she ever had before. "How's Bella?"

"Bella looks fine. I think everything is going as it should," Carlisle verified, lightly patting my back and squeezing my shoulders as if attempting to ease my obvious tension. Then, they both yielded and turned to Rosalie and Jacob.

_Is that her?_ Carlisle's gaze met mine, his eyebrows lifted.

"Yes, Renesmee," I confirmed.

Jacob stood up and reluctantly handed you over to your grandfather. I could tell he wasn't happy to have his time with you cut so short.

"Wow, she's _gorgeous_!" Carlisle exclaimed, glancing up from you to Esme. "She looks like Bella, but more like Edward. What do you think?" He then offered you to Esme.

"There are just no words for this." Esme's glee was radiating from her face. I had never seen her more jubilant, not even on her wedding day those many years prior. Her mind was joyfully pondering the notion of being a grandmother as she looked over at Jacob. "Thank you, Jacob. We'll ever be grateful to you for helping Edward _and_ Bella."

"Aw, it was nothing," Jacob said. He shot a glaring smirk at me and added, "Nessie was worth it."

"Nessie?" Esme questioned, turning her attention to me.

"It's _Renesmee_, Jacob!" I retorted, struggling to fight back my frustration.

"Nessie . . . I like it." Esme admiringly peered down at your face once more. I could hear your nickname declaredly ringing from all of their minds. I would have to get used to it.

"Hey, now," Emmett broke my concentration. "Don't _I_ get to hold her? You two are hogging her!"

"Sorry, Emmett." Esme placed you into Emmett's strong arms, and observed, "Look, she's awake now."

"Hi, Nessie," Emmett deeply inhaled your scent. "I'm your Uncle Emmett. We're going to have so much fun together—hunting grizzly bears and playing catch."

"Grizzly bears?" Jacob snapped at Emmett. "You are _not_ taking her on one of your hunts!"

"Geez, Jake!" Emmett was apparently addled, releasing you to Rosalie. "What's gotten into you? I thought you wanted the baby dead—at all costs!"

"It's complicated," Jacob frowned, "I think, um, I'll go downstairs. Don't want to ruin your little Hallmark moment you got going on here!" And with that last line, he had backed his way out the doorway.

Emmett confusedly shook his head, and our family quickly focused their complete attention back to you.

I was experiencing another perfect moment. There we all were—Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and myself—huddled around you and dazzled beyond reproach.

No one spoke; their thoughts separately buzzed with adoration for the wondrous babe within our midst.

Then, with the sweetness and tenderness of an angel, you reached out your palm and touched Rosalie's white cheek.

"I've never seen _that_ before." Carlisle stared in wonder as did the other members of our family. "What's she doing?"

"She's showing Rosalie that someone's missing," I replied, my smile turning to a frown, and gestured toward the operating table across the room. Everyone turned.

"Her mother."

**Attn: Thank you to all readers who have started this fan fic. I appreciate your support and would love to hear from you! Please review and let me know what you think. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 5: Memories (Edward's POV)**

All the memories of your mother came flooding back to me that next morning. I vigilantly kept my post beside her hospital bed, my unwavering, golden eyes focused on her lovely face.

Now, with the remaining members of our family home, I had vowed to stay by your mother's side until she awoke. I told the others to keep you away from the room, just as a precaution. Your mother could open her eyes to her new, never-ending existence at any moment, her bloodlust aching to be instantly quenched. Thus, I ultimately feared for your safety and Jacob's as well.

The memories were coming even faster now; they were vivid, full of vibrant colors, and sharp as if I were experiencing them in that very moment . . .

The first time I beheld your mother across our crowded, high-school lunchroom . . . the first moment her intoxicating scent ignited my desire to drain her body of blood . . . the electrifying, pulsating current that raced through my being when her hand first grazed mine . . . the rush I felt positioning myself between her and Tyler Crowley's out-of-control van . . . the combined sensation of anxiety, nervousness, and somewhat relief when she revealed her conclusion that I was a vampire . . . the incredible warmth of her mortal body as I held her in our meadow . . . the moment her lips first touched mine . . . the moment I realized that I unconditionally and irrevocably loved her. . .

And the day I left her . . . and the day she found me, her arms wrapped around me as I was about to openly expose my kind to the world . . .

The night I proposed . . .

But no memory was more alive than that of our wedding day. It had only been little over a month prior to your birth . . .

Your mother had taken some convincing, but there she stood at the top of the staircase arm-in-arm with your grandfather, Charlie. The air was fragrant with the overwhelming perfume of orange blossoms, thanks to your Aunt Alice, and your mother was a stunning vision in her shimmering, white gown. She held her head--filled with braids and traditional veil--down possibly to aid in her descent down the stairs.

Then, suddenly, our eyes met, and my heart smiled wider than my pale visage would allow. Her cheeks immediately flushed—oh, how I would miss that someday. The sight of my radiant, blushing bride made me forget the scene around me--the throng of our relatives, the bountiful array of flowers, the swirling thoughts of admiration about the room—there was only your mother.

The world could have come to an end, and I wouldn't have flinched.

Your Grandfather Charlie placed her tender hand in mine, and the warm touch of your mother's palm filled me with elation. She would soon be mine. Forever.

My golden eyes stayed steadily transfixed on your mother's chocolate-brown eyes as we recited our vows. Despite her prior objections to marrying me, the moment your mother said "I do," I knew she meant it with all of her heart and soul. I triumphantly echoed her "I do" with a wide grin, anticipating the minister's next statement that would declare us husband and wife.

With Mr. Weber's final words, "you may kiss your bride," I cupped her face of cream and roses into both palms and kissed my wife for the first time. In response, your mother threw her arms desperately around my neck, returning my affection. Our kiss lasted much longer than I had expected; I almost had to pry your mother's unyielding hands off my shoulders. When it finally ended, I gave her a smirk of obvious satisfaction.

As we exited the house toward the reception, I noticed it was twilight. I had told her once that it was the safest time of day for us, the easiest time . . .

_Edward, any change?_ Your grandfather's question stirred me from my sweet memories. I turned to give him my assessment, only shaking my head.

"Good. We need you, son. Sam's here to give us news from the pack. However, he's still phased and we need a translator," Carlisle needlessly relayed; I already had heard his request.

"No!" I angrily hissed at him. "I'm not leaving her _now_, Carlisle!"

_I'm sorry._ Carlisle's face and mind were full of shock at my sudden outburst.

Regaining my composure, I apologized as well and continued, "I just need to stay with her, Carlisle. I can't risk not being here when she's awake. I want to be here—_she's_ my priority right now."

"Of course," Carlisle's hand rested on my shoulder. "I shouldn't have even suggested it. We'll manage without you. Let me know if there's any change."

"You know I will."

I was not quite certain how long your grandfather lingered in the room. I had already returned to kissing my newly-wed bride as we glided effortlessly across the dance floor under a canopy of twinkling, white lights.

**Attn: Please review and the next chapter will be posted soon. Thanks for all the lovin' so far! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 6: New (Edward's POV)**

Your mother's eyes opened that following day. I gently squeezed her right hand to let her know I was there, and she immediately leapt off the hospital bed in alarm. Pressing herself frightfully against the wall, she then retreated to a defensive, crouched position. Your mother was in an obvious state of shock as she gazed wide-eyed at the new world before her. I helplessly reached across the operating table toward her, beckoning her to my side.

In an instant, the others were there to observe your mother in her transition. Jasper and Emmett protectively stood in front of the others, shielding them from the possible, impending danger.

_Stay calm, Edward._ Carlisle's thoughts invaded my brain. _Give her a minute to adjust._

Your mother was taking in everything around her--the clear, sharp images of the room—the unfamiliar sounds she could now discern—the fresh, once-undetectable scents as they penetrated her heightened sense of smell. I knew all too well how it felt to be a newborn vampire. She was experiencing everything _again_ for the first time.

With an abrupt jerk of her head, your mother unexpectedly directed her interest to me. And I saw _them_—her once chocolate-brown eyes had been replaced with piercing, blood-red ones. I knew this haunting image all too well. I had seen it a myriad of times in Alice's visions, hoping with endless desperation that they would never become a reality.

But, alas, there they were—those severe, crimson eyes—and I didn't care. They now belonged to my Bella. I found them quite exquisite and becoming to her; they eventually would fade to amber and then to gold in a matter of months.

As I moved cautiously toward her, I kept my arm extended to welcome her embrace. When I had reached a safe distance, I lightly stroked her fine cheek in an attempt to calm her. Impulsively, your mother violently sprung into my arms. If I had been human, she would have knocked me down and rendered me unconscious. She was very strong, much stronger than me. I had to release her, and she backed away almost-embarrassingly in reply. I reassured her to stay calm and to remain careful; she wasn't aware of her own strength yet.

I caressed her cheek softly once more, and she returned my gesture with such a longing I had never seen. We lingered in our first immortal embrace, gazing into each other's eyes.

Your mother had never looked more beautiful. Her long, brown hair was glistening—almost translucent—and her skin was void of color, but as smooth as ivory porcelain. Her glorious, ruby eyes danced with mine, and in that moment I had forgotten why I had ever hesitated to turn her.

We were now equals—two immortals deeply in awe of one another. Our feelings would remain unchanged, unaltered, unfailing. We would be together as long as we both existed. We were soulmates, destined to be in each other's arms. We would never love another, never desire the touch of another. We would be as one being, one heart--and yes, possibly one soul. For all eternity. Forever. There would be no holding back as before. We could now let go . . .

Your mother told me that she loved me, and I lifted her slightly and fiercely pressed my lips to hers. In response, your mother strapped her leg forcefully around my body. _This_ should have been our first kiss . . . and in a way it was.

After what seemed like ages, I heard Emmett's mind howl at me with sexual amusements, and then, he loudly cleared his throat. Knocked back into the present, we both surrendered for the moment. My being was pulsating on the inside, and all the fears and anxiety I had once held had now vanished without a trace.

Several of your mother's first questions concerned you, but I could not allow her to hold you just yet. She needed to feed, to hunt. She had to promptly quench her newborn thirst for blood.

It would certainly have brought ease to Jasper's mind. His thoughts were racing in astonishment at your mother's ability to adequately control the abundance of emotions that were flowing through her. He was fearful that she suddenly might break from her restraint at any second.

Before we left, Alice adamantly insisted that your mother see her new self. As your mother meticulously viewed her immortal reflection, I knew she did not quite recognize the gorgeous being staring back at her from beyond the looking glass. To my dismay, I still could not read her thoughts, but it really did not matter. I had my Bella back.

And with that ultimate revelation, your mother and I set off on the first of our many hunting trips together. It was the beginning of our _true_ forever.

**Attn: Renesmee's POV is coming in 3 chapters! Hope you stick around for it. Thanks for reading and please review. :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 7: Declaration (Edward's POV)**

There were numerous remarkable moments that occurred during the first few months of your life and your mother's immortal existence . . .

The first time your mother held you . . . your first hunt . . . the first night spent in our cottage as a family . . . your first spoken words . . . your first steps . . . the day you met your Grandfather Charlie . . . the realization that your mother was gifted with an immortal power . . . the visit of fellow vampires from around the globe . . . your first Christmas . . . the arm-wrestling match between your mother and Uncle Emmett . . . those frightful moments testifying to your human conception before the Volturi . . . the moment we learned you would reach immortality in less than seven years . . . the notion that you would be ours forever . . .

These were a plethora of precious and somewhat bittersweet memories that I knew your mother and I would never forget. I supposed you might not either.

That night after the Volturi came to question the circumstances of your birth, all three of us had safely returned to our cottage. We had just put you to sleep in your bed when your mother did something I never expected.

She placed her hands steadily on each side of my head and concentrated with all her might. To my surprise and utter astonishment, I was able to see every hazy human memory and every crystal-clear immortal memory of your mother and me together. The exhilaration and invigoration that surged through my being was overwhelming. I had finally read your mother's thoughts; she had just made my last dream for us as a couple come true . . .

Later that evening, I left your mother for a brief minute to check on you. It was my turn.

Entering your bedroom, I could detect the soft drumming of your heartbeat and could instinctively tell you were perfectly and sound asleep. As I turned to leave, my golden eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of something hidden in the darkness of the room.

It was a small, leather purse that once belonged to Alice. It had her unmistakable perfume mixed with yours emanating from its surface. I curiously removed it from its resting place on the bedpost, wondering why Alice would have left it there. To my knowledge, she had not been to the cottage since before your mother and I were married.

The purse's zipper opened easily with the movement of my fingers. Inside, I discovered an enormous stack of folded cash and an envelope containing passports and false identification materials for you and Jacob (except you two were named Jacob and Vanessa Wolfe). A piece of Esme's beige stationery was folded under the envelope; it only read three words: RIO DE JANEIRO.

I was puzzled for a few seconds regarding the contents of the tiny backpack, but then I remembered. I had seen the purse about your shoulders during the Volturi's interrogation. I deductively concluded that your mother, along with Alice's obvious help, had provided you and Jacob with an option to escape if something had gone terribly wrong.

I then opened the outside pocket on the small purse and found four more ivory envelopes from Esme's office. They were separately addressed in your mother's handwriting to your Grandfather Charlie, your Grandmother Renee, Jacob, and finally you. I replaced the three others and only held yours anxiously in my palms. I ardently wanted to know your mother's final words to you, our sweet daughter.

After I broke the seal and the letter unfolded before me, your mother's prose flowed eloquently from amongst the page:

_My dear Renesmee,_

_If you are reading this letter, then your father and I are now dead. I know you may not understand it now, but you had to leave with Jacob. One day, he will tell you why you've been so close these past few months._

_Please know that your father and I loved you more than anything else on this earth. The moment I knew I was going to have you—I never wanted anything more in my entire life. You were something your father and I thought improbable. We never expected to have a beautiful daughter, and many times when I was pregnant with you, I thought I might have to die in order for you to survive._

_But we endured and became a family—something beyond my wildest dreams. When I held you for the first time, I knew you had been worth the fight—all the pain and the cracked ribs you gave me. You were very stubborn, just like me, but turned out to be just as thoughtful and gentle as your father._

_Have a beautiful and wonderful life with Jacob. He will be the best friend you will ever have and maybe one day much more. Always seek out the right choices in life and never lose sight of what is important. Never let anyone tell you that you are different; you are my lovely, unique Renesmee._

_As the golden locket I gave you says, we loved you more than our own lives. You were conceived in love, and our love will extend beyond the boundaries of life and death. One day, we will be together again._

_Love Always,  
Mommy_

The emotion that hit me as I read your mother's letter made me grasp the bedpost to steady myself. I glanced at your slumbering face and with incessant gratification knew that I had everything that I had ever wanted and more. And I had almost lost it all a few precious hours ago.

But now, there we were—safe and together at last. I was now complete.

**  
Attn: Thanks for reading and hold on—the next chapter flashforwards into the future. Thanks to Corey26 for the idea behind chapter 7! Please review. ****Also, if you are over 18 and love Twilight fan fiction, check out freedomfanfictionwriters(dot)com. I post all of my stories there as well.**


	8. Chapter 8

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 8: Promised (Edward's POV)**

That fateful day soon came when you would reach full maturity and would remain forever eighteen. Your mother and I had watched you mature from a tiny babe into a beautiful, intelligent woman in a matter of only seven years. The time we had with you as a child was cut so short, and you now stood before us, looking more like your mother every day.

As usual, your Aunt Alice went overboard with the festivities, and Rosalie and Esme had only encouraged her in the quest to make your big day special.

Your mother had vehemently objected to such merrymaking; of course, this day made her feel a little sad inside. In more ways than one, she felt as if she was losing you. You were no longer the tiny child she had successfully protected from the wrath of the Volturi. In a few months, you would be heading off to Dartmouth, her former alma mater, for the winter semester accompanied by Rosalie and Emmett. And as promised seven years ago, Jacob was about to explain to you why he had been your best friend since birth.

"It is all going to be perfect, Bella!" Aunt Alice cheerfully exclaimed, putting the final touches on the satin ribbon wound about the circumference of your enormous, birthday cake.

"Alice, you know, Nessie doesn't want you to make a fuss." Your mother calmly began. She was seated beside the massive living room window. "She's known this was going to happen for years now."

"I can't believe anyone wouldn't want to celebrate such an occasion as this—oh, yeah right, _look_ who I'm talking to!" Alice released a short sigh and turned back to her decorations.

"Please make her stop, Edward!" Your mother hopelessly pleaded with me. "Nessie will be very unhappy. It's making _me_ unhappy."

"You can't stop Alice, love. I know better, and _you_ know better." I attempted to persuade her, trying to mask my chagrin. "She'll rip us to pieces if we try. _Literally_."

Your mother unwillingly relented and stared back out the window, her pale-white skin glistening and sparkling in the sun's beaming rays. I lovingly wrapped my arms around her shoulders, carefully scanning the trees for any sign of you and Jacob. You were just about a mile away on a hunting trip. Jacob, like Alice, was overjoyed that this day had finally arrived.

"They're here!" Aunt Rosalie shouted down from the second floor, and every member of our family swiftly appeared in the living room.

We all waited with baited breath and anticipation for you and Jacob to open the front door.

"Go home, Jake!" You violently flung open the door, slamming it in Jacob's face. I didn't have to read your mind. Jacob's thoughts were reeling with the realization that he had made a huge mistake.

"Surprise!" Everyone, with the exception of your mother and me, yelled when the door was closed. Their eager expressions quickly faded to looks of concern and confusion. They all knew something was definitely wrong.

"Nessie? What happened, sweetheart?" Your mother questioned, possibly aware of your outburst's cause. She invitingly held out her arms to you.

"Nothing! Please just leave me alone!" You proclaimed, darting breezily up the stairs. Jacob's powerful fists banged wildly against the door.

"Let her go." I firmly told our family.

_Jacob told her, didn't he?_ Carlisle's thoughts entered my head. I nodded in affirmation.

"Damn that mongrel! If he hurt her, I'm going to kill him!" Rosalie screeched with determination, clenching her fists.

"Rose, let me handle this," I stated, disclosing the door and sauntering out onto the porch.

"Jacob, may I have a word?" I shouted, noticing that he had now phased and was running toward the forest.

_Yes._ Jacob's pace slowed, and his gigantic paws started to pound back toward the house.

After he had phased back to human form and dressed, Jacob and I sat down in two rocking chairs facing each other on the porch. His thoughts were racing with a flood of emotions--most of all, the feeling of utter rejection. Jacob was a wreck.

"What happened, Jacob?" I put my hand on his knee to steady it; it was bouncing up and down rapidly.

"I told her about us—about the imprinting thing!" Jacob's voice was almost incomprehensible. I had to resort to reading his thoughts to fully understand him. "She called me a liar! She said it was impossible! We were just _friends_ and nothing more!"

I had heard _that_ before, but continued to listen.

"I tried to hug her, you know, to show her how much I loved her and she shoved me off and ran away from me—but I caught up to her—and pulled her down—and well, kissed her!" I fought back my desire to suffocate him to death at this confession, but then second-guessed it when he relayed, "And then she _punched_ me!"

_That's my girl_, I quietly exclaimed to myself, choking back a fit of laughter. I had never been so proud of you.

"And then she said she had already promised to marry Nahuel—that she's been seeing him behind all of our backs!" Jacob's rant finally concluded, and he buried his head into his hands, almost ripping out his black hair.

"What?" My heart sunk and formed a heavy lump in my chest. Nahuel had moved with his aunt to Forks from South America a few years ago to be closer to us; as far as I knew it, you two were just friends. I was sure Jacob's revelation wasn't the truth. I would have heard it in your thoughts; however, I still wondered its validity. "Are you sure that's true? Or do you think she just said it to hurt you?"

_I don't know, Edward._ Jacob was almost hysterical, and then he composed himself, "I love her, Edward. I've been waiting almost seven years. I thought she would love me by now—that she would think of me as more than a friend—that she wouldn't love that—_bastard_! This is like the Bella thing all over again!"

"You're right, Jacob, and I'm sorry." I tried to console him. "I'm sure it just came as a shock to her. She's probably just as confused as you are right now."

_Will you talk to her for me?_ Jacob's fiery, yet devastated, eyes peered up at me.

"How can I say no? You are family, Jacob, in more ways than you know." I patted him on the back, rigidly stood up, and headed back into the house. "I can't promise you anything, but I will talk to her. Go on back to Billy's, and I'll give you call later."

And with that final statement, I reluctantly reentered the house, baffled by the notion of your possible deception.

**Attn: As a bonus for all of the lovely reviews you readers have given me, I have decided to post Chapter 9 also today! :D So . . . what are you waiting for? Thanks so much!**


	9. Chapter 9

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 9: Confessions (Edward's POV)**

"Nessie? Darling?" I poked my head into your large bedroom, which had formally been mine. It had been your place of solitude when we visited your grandparents. It was now uniquely your own. "Are you all right?"

I could hear the tips your fingers as they forcefully stroked the keys of your baby grand piano. Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_, your favorite piece, angrily filled the acoustics of the room, totally absorbing you in its rhythm.

"Nessie?" I moved closer. "Nessie? _Nessie_?" I grasped your hands gently, lifting them from the black and white keys.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but--" You looked for comfort in the palm of your hands, your brown eyes spilling over with tears.

I pulled you tenderly into my arms, and we stood there without saying a word for several minutes. Your thoughts were twisted in a jumble of confusion. I couldn't quite discern any of them. Was I losing my touch?

"You know what Jake told me, don't you?" You let go of my embrace, walking toward the bedroom window. "That he imprinted on me when I was born."

"Yes, Nessie, I've known since you were a baby." I confessed, wondering whether or not I should have told you sooner.

"I can't believe it! So, I'm supposed to _marry_ him now!" You suddenly turned to look me in the eye. "I don't think of Jake that way!"

"Nessie, darling, it is totally up to you. I told him after you were born to wait until you were old enough. So that you would be able to make up your mind for yourself." I stared down at the blue carpet, feeling almost helpless.

"Well, I'm not marrying him!" You collapsed on your bed and quickly wiped the tears from under your eyes.

"That's fine." I knelt beside you and placed my hands on your knees. "But you have to talk to him, darling. You can't just let him suffer. You have to tell him that you don't feel the same way. You can't expect him to just be okay. He's been looking forward to telling you for seven years. You may have overreacted just a little bit."

"Look who's talking." You rolled your eyes and smiled at me with my crooked grin, and we both shared a joyful, but fleeting laugh.

"Seriously, please talk to him. He's hurting right now." I stood up, cupping your lovely face with my right palm.

"Thanks, Dad. I will. I promise." You replied and rested your head on a soft pillow.

I turned to leave, and then I suddenly reminded myself of the second reason for coming to see you.

"Oh, Nessie?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"What's this I hear about you and Nahuel?"

"What do you mean?" You shot straight up on the bed, nervously biting your lip.

"Jacob told me you said you've been seeing him. Is there something you want to tell me?"

You stared blankly at the wall for about a minute and then reluctantly disclosed, "Yes, Dad, I've been seeing him for about a year now. It only got serious a few days ago though."

"Why wasn't I aware of this? Why couldn't I read it in your thoughts?" I desperately asked.

"Because Mom's been helping me with my shield." You looked up at me cautiously, hesitantly awaiting my response.

"Your _shield_?"

"Yes, Dad, I've known about it for about three years. I'm sorry." Your face genuinely appeared apologetic.

"That explains a lot of things." I peered at you in disbelief. You were not only gifted with the power of communicating through touch, but you also were blessed with your mother's ability to shield your thoughts from me. I didn't have the slightest idea why you and your mother had kept this a secret.

"Are you mad at us?" I managed to hear you question.

I sighed. I couldn't be mad with you. Not today. "I thought you would have _wanted_ me to know."

"It's just something Mom and I wanted to share together, you know—something _we_ could only do."

"I don't object to that." I paused. "But I would want to know if you were pledged to marry someone behind my back."

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry. He asked me a few days ago, but I don't know _now_. I really don't want to hurt Jake. I _do_ love him." You threw your arms around me in a fierce hug. "What should I do?"

"Nessie, I know you'll make the right choice. It is yours and yours alone to make." I sadly wished I could help you decide, but I wasn't sure which side to root for. "Whoever will make you the happiest."

"Thanks, Dad." You gently squeezed my shoulders and then retreated to your piano, reciting the first few notes of Debussy's _Clair de Lune_.

I smiled, struggling to fight back my sorrow. You had grown up much too fast.

**Attn: Renesmee's POV is next for several chapters. I hope you stick around. Edward will be back, I promise. The POVs will alternate back and forth. Thanks as always for reading! You guys are awesome! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 10: I went to La Push and all I got was this lousy imprint! (Renesmee's POV)**

Jacob! Oh, how furious I was with him! This was supposed to be one of the best days of my life and he had to go and totally destroy it! That idiotic, overrated practice of imprinting! Those Quileutes were strange enough, being werewolves, or shapeshifters, or whatever the hell they were! Why couldn't they just choose whom they wanted to marry? No, they had to "imprint" on them. What the heck?

And who better to imprint on—a half-human, half-vampire. _Thing_. That's what I was. I had grown up so fast—I had hardly noticed what happened. I remember waking up one morning and my pajama bottoms were up to my shins. How's that for a growth spurt!

And I also discovered that I could learn things very quickly. My father played Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven on the piano one morning, and when he left to make me breakfast, I walked over to the massive black mystery and began to recite it back to him—never missing a note or a beat. You should have seen the look on his face!

No doubt, I had to be home-schooled. No one would believe my parents had conceived me—they didn't look a day over eighteen. And I, well, looked way more mature than my actual age.

My mother had taught me the classics—Austen, Shakespeare, Bronte, and all the usuals. I, in fact, loved Thomas Hardy. His novel, _Tess of the d'Urbervilles_, was my favorite. Tess Durbeyfield, she was my heroine! Raped by the man—Alec—she thought she loved and left to carry his child, alone and shunned by society. The baby, Sorrow, eventually passed. Then, she married Angel Clare, who later rejected her on their wedding night because she had been with another man. In the end, she killed that Alec bastard! Serves him right! Jerk!

Now, back to Jake. He had been my best friend as long as I could remember. I vividly recall his face the day I was born as I peeked from beneath my blanket in Aunt Rosalie's arms. I could even remember hearing his strong, boisterous voice from the depths of my mother's womb. Who can say that? Only me—the weirdo here.

I also remembered another face from my childhood—huh, _childhood_, what a joke! Anyway, he was standing there in the clearing that day the Volturi came to question my family about me. Nahuel, along with his aunt, Huilen, was beautiful with his long, black, and glistening hair, draped down his back in a braid. His lovely, brown skin—he looked like an angel! He couldn't take his eyes of my mother and me. I guessed it was because I was one of his kind—a half-breed—and my mother was still alive. Something his mother could have never hoped for; she died upon his birth. My mother would have died also if my father hadn't injected her with his venom and turned her into an immortal. My aunt, Rosalie, had told me the story before my parents did, much to their dismay. Sigh.

Nahuel had moved with his aunt from South America to Forks a couple of years ago. We instantly hit it off. Of course, I was the only other female half-breed that wasn't related to him in some way. And not to mention, he was about one hundred and fifty years older than me! Even older than my dad! Weird, I know. He was a complete gentleman, holding doors for me, offering me his arm when we were walking together, and kissing my hand when he said "goodnight." He reminded me of my dad in so many ways. I loved having intellectual conversations with him—he had been through college several times, you know. He was a different kind of friend, not like Jake, who always talked about cars and smelled a little like a wet dog. Then, one day, just before I reached full maturity, Nahuel and I became much more . . .

"Renesmee?" Nahuel said, glancing over at me from his tree branch. We were high up in the trees after an afternoon hunt, resting across from each other on different branches. I could sense the seriousness in his voice.

"What? I have blood on my face or something?" I instinctively brushed my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Always the comedian." He laughed and continued, "Your face looks perfect as always. It's just--" Nahuel moved closer to me. "I wanted to ask you something."

"You've fallen madly in love with me and you want me to marry you, right?" I giggled like a little schoolgirl, putting my hand over my mouth.

But he didn't return my laugh. His face was all business, and in that moment, I regretted what I had said.

"Well . . . yes." Nahuel peered at me with his brown eyes, taking my right hand into his.

"Whoa, wait a minute here." I let go of his hand and stood up, balancing myself on the branch. "You _love_ me?"

"Truly I do." He was now standing beside me, his hand taking mine once again.

Before I knew what was happening, his lips were on mine. Nahuel and I were becoming more than friends, and I immediately thought of Jake. I remembered kissing Jake last year as a joke, but this was my first kiss with someone who would potentially become more than a friend. Yes, I loved Nahuel more than I had ever dreamt in that moment. He was like me; we were two of a kind.

"Stop, Nahuel." I pushed myself free of his embrace.

"What? Too soon? I'm sorry—I shouldn't have."

"It's okay," I put my hands over my face, turning from him. "I've felt this way, too, Nahuel, for a while now. I just didn't know if you felt the same way."

"I can't say that I haven't longed for this moment. I know it sounds a little strange, but I've felt a connection to you ever since I met you when you were a baby." Nahuel pulled me back to him. "To know there is another beautiful person who shares the same passions and desires as I do." His lips were on mine again, and I couldn't stop—Jake was far from my mind. I ran my hands through Nahuel's long tresses; his hair was so soft—it made me want him more.

Nahuel ended our kiss before it went too far; he was a gentleman after all. But I wanted something more in that moment.

"I know you want this to go further—I can read it in your thoughts." Nahuel confessed, loosening my hands that were wound about his neck.

"You could read my thoughts?" I looked at him, astonished.

"Yes, you let it slip, Renesmee."

"I feel so embarrassed. Man, I hate that power of mine sometimes." I blushed a little at this thought. That means he saw me imagine him naked. How mortifying!

"It's okay," Nahuel chuckled, smiling at me. "I don't want you to see me naked, not just yet. And yes, I've thought of you that way, too."

"You dirty boy!" I replied, laughing off the awkwardness I felt. I looked off at the horizon through the trees. The sun was almost resting below it. "We need to go though. My dad—always the worrier!"

"You never did answer the question though?" Nahuel took my hand to help me climb down the gigantic tree.

"Which one?"

"Will you marry me?" He asked when we had reached the bottom of the tree.

Without thinking, I screamed, "YES," throwing my arms around him. He kissed me briefly and slipped something on my left hand finger. It was some type of ring.

"Oh, Nahuel, it's _gorgeous_!" The ring was wooden and carved in intricate, flowery detail.

"Just like you. It was my mother's. I don't really know much more about it than that." Nahuel smiled with those pearly, white teeth and kissed my hand. Then, like a whisper, he was gone, disappearing among the trees.

It felt like I was in a sappy, romantic movie for a minute; this couldn't have just happened to me. I looked down at my hand, grinning from ear to ear. Nahuel's ring still was there.

And then, my heart sunk. There was something else. I noticed the braided Quileute band, wrapped around my left wrist. It was the friendship bracelet Jake had given me for Christmas when I was a few months old. How was I going to tell him this?! _Oh, crap, how was I going to tell my father?!_


	11. Chapter 11

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 11: I can't believe it happened! Well, almost. (Renesmee's POV)**

There I was that same night of my "maturation," running through the woods toward La Push. I had promised my dad that I would talk to Jake about the whole imprinting thing! Oh, how I loathed the thought of it! It was embarrassing enough to tell my dad about Nahuel and then to have Jake's imprint on my chest like a bad scar—ugh, I needed a nap!

As I neared a clearing in the forest, I smelled the sweetest scent—yes, Nahuel was near. His scent of cedarwood and musk was undeniable.

"Nahuel?" I stopped immediately, expecting him to materialize any second.

"I'm here." Nahuel lovingly hugged me from behind. "What are you doing out here this late?"

"Going to talk to Jake. It's a long story." I frowned.

"I've got all the time in the world." Nahuel rocked me back and forth gently, still holding me in his arms.

I grabbed Nahuel's arms and gave him the entire story—imprint and all. He could see everything—Jacob and me in the woods, the moment he kissed me, the moment I punched him, the conversation with my dad—and then I let his arms go.

"So, your father knows about Jacob's imprint and about us, huh?" Nahuel wrapped his arms around me again.

"Yes, but he's not mad. He actually told me that the choice was up me. Believe it or not!" I smiled at him.

"It's up to you, is it?" Nahuel gently pressed his lips to mine. Then, he moved them to my jaw, my neck, my throat, and I forgot my name. "And who are you going to choose?"

"My mind is pretty made up at the moment," I whispered. Jolts of electricity were pulsating through my body.

We spoke no more, and in a matter of seconds, we were on the damp grass. I couldn't think clearly at the moment. All I knew was that I wanted Nahuel—gentleman or not. I wanted all of him.

"Do you want this, Renesmee? Just say the word, and I'll stop." He softly blew into my right ear.

"Don't stop. I want you, Nahuel. Now." I practically ripped off his shirt and flung it violently to the side. He had mine off just as quickly. He was kissing every part of me, and it felt amazing. I didn't know I could feel this way. It was intoxicating beyond my wildest dreams.

Suddenly, I felt teeth sink into my neck—forceful and deep. I opened my eyes, waking from my fantasy, and cried out in pain. Did Nahuel just bite me? What was happening?

"Get-your-hands-off-her, half-breed!" Jake had yanked Nahuel off me with one arm.

"Jake!" I screamed and stood up. Then, I realized I was in nothing but my bra and jeans. I hurriedly fumbled with my shirt, struggling to get it back over my body.

I looked up and saw that Jake had now phased, his ferocious jaws clawing at Nahuel's skin.

"Stop, Jake! Stop!" I yelled, trying to pull him off Nahuel. "Don't hurt him, please!"

Jake abruptly stopped, turned to me, and let out a long, ear-splitting howl. Then, he darted out of sight, absorbing into the woods.

"Are you okay, Nahuel?" I helped him up from the ground.

"Yeah, nothing wounded, except my ego." Nahuel grinned, laughing off the attack.

"Sorry, he can be very protective of me," I told him and touched the right side of my neck where he had bitten me.

"I'm sorry—I bit you." Nahuel placed his hand where bite marks now were branded on my skin. "It's something I do, you know, in the heat of passion."

"What? You've done this before?" I was shocked and slapped his hand away.

"I am over a hundred and fifty years old. I have had sex before, Renesmee. You wouldn't have been my first." His revelation cut me deep.

"I thought—but you never mentioned it."

"It never came up until now." Nahuel looked worried. "This doesn't change things between us, does it?"

"I don't know, Nahuel. I almost gave myself to you. Oh, I don't know what to think." I was confused and hurt. I thought I knew Nahuel better than anyone. Now, it was like he was a stranger. Where did my gentleman go? I felt almost betrayed as I pushed passed him. I just needed to get away from him. "I need to go talk to Jake like I should have in the first place!"

"Wait, Nessie! Stay, please." Nahuel attempted to make me stay, hugging me from behind.

I pushed him off. "That's Renesmee! Only Jake and my family can call me that! Get your hands off me!"

I ran faster than I ever had before. I was angry, upset, and addled. I couldn't believe all this was happening to me. All I knew was that I needed Jake. I needed my best friend.

**Attn: I hope you are enjoying Nessie's POV. Jake & Nessie's moment is next.**


	12. Chapter 12

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 12: My Jake (Nessie's POV)**

"Nessie?" Billy Black looked at me with surprise, opening the front door. "What are you doing here, girl? It's late. Your dad's probably worried sick!"

"I'm sorry, Billy. Is Jake here?" I knew it was difficult for Jake's dad to come to the door, being in a wheelchair and all. I probably just woke him up. I almost regretted coming to the front door and not through Jake's window as I usually did.

"Sure, he's here." Billy sighed. Then, he graciously wheeled his chair aside to allow me through the door. "He punched a hole in the wall when he got home. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

"Well, yes, I guess so." I turned to walk down the hall to Jake's room. "Sorry, I woke you, Billy."

"I'm a night owl, Nessie. Don't you worry about me," I heard Billy say as I peeked my head into Jake's small bedroom. "I like my house, Nessie. Please don't make him destroy something else."

My only reply to Billy was a smile. As I looked into the blackness of Jake's room, I could see the massive bulge of his body under the blankets on his bed.

"Jake? You awake?" I called out to him, turning on the lamp next to his bed and positioning myself beside him.

"Yes, Nessie. What do you want?" Jake's voice was cold and harsh. I gulped my heart back down my throat.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you earlier," I began, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I shouldn't have run away. I should have listened to you. I'm here to listen now. Please, Jake?"

"Just go back to your boyfriend—er, I mean, your _husband_!" He pulled the covers tighter over his head.

"Jake, don't do this!" I forcefully removed the blanket from over his face. "Look at me, please?"

"Why should I?" Jake sat up, giving me what I wanted and looking me dead in the face. "You've hurt me in every way possible today!"

Then, the tears came. Not his—mine. The weight of my actions that day came crashing down on me like a ton of bricks, and I began to sob uncontrollably. I had deeply hurt my best friend—someone who thought I was "the one," his soulmate. Then, I almost slept with Nahuel—someone Jake would merrily throw into the pit of hell. Jake had been waiting for me for seven years—he had given up college and all other women for me! I couldn't believe how selfish I had been.

"Nessie, come here." Jake wrapped his large arms around me into a bear hug. I could feel his rigid body relax.

"I love you, Jake. I'm sorry I hurt you. I really am." I managed to tell him through my tears, letting the warmth of his body soothe me.

"It's okay, Nessie." His voice was low and calm. My Jake was back.

"Forgive me." I whispered.

"I already have." He held me against his bare chest for what seemed like hours, and then, Jake released me, taking my hands into his. "I was heartbroken when you rejected me today, and when you told me you were going to marry Nahuel, I was furious with you. I've been waiting so long to tell you how I felt. I selfishly thought you would automatically love me back. That was where I was wrong."

"Jake, tell me something." I looked into his dark, brown eyes. "Do you really love me or is it just the imprinting thing?"

"Nessie, I must admit—when I first knew you existed, I wanted you dead. I thought you were an abomination—a monster—that didn't deserve to live." Jake observed my alarmed expression and placed his hand on my cheek. "But then, when I saw you, you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I've cared about you ever since, and then a year or two ago, I did fall in love with you. So, to answer your question—yes, I _really_ love you."

"My dad told me that he would support my decision. I thought I loved Nahuel, but something happened tonight to change my mind about him."

"What was that?" Jake asked anxiously.

I took his brawny arms into my hands and showed him—the kiss, the passion, the bite, Nahuel's confession. I had to admit—it was just a little bit embarrassing to be sharing this with him.

"That bastard! He really bit you!" Jake was about to phase again; I could sense it.

"Calm down, Jake, please. Look, it's almost healed anyway." I pulled back my hair to convince him. I could feel only small holes where the bite marks had been. "Please don't phase. You could hurt me even worse."

It took Jake about a minute, and then he was back to normal. The fact that he could hurt me too seemed to make him relax. Then, Jake's eyes caught sight of something and he grabbed my left wrist.

"You're still wearing my promise bracelet." Jake half-smiled and sighed.

"I've never taken it off." I smiled at him with both my lips and my eyes. "It's precious to me."

We didn't speak for several minutes. Jake's fingers twirled the band around my wrist several times.

"Do you really love _me_, Nessie?" Jake's eyes were intensely focused on mine. "Do you think you could ever love me enough to want to _marry_ me?"

"I _do_ love you, Jake." My full attention was on his eyes. They were beautiful—it was like I could see all the way to his soul. I felt butterflies in the pit of my stomach, and maybe, that affirmed his second question.

Then, with the urgency that had been building for seven years, Jake kissed me, drawing me closer to him with all of his strength. I kissed him back, desiring to test my theory. I felt my world spinning out of control. I first thought of Nahuel—but then he faded from my mind. Jake was now there—only Jake. In that moment, I realized that I did love him—yes, enough to marry him. Who wouldn't want to marry the person who was their best friend? Someone they had known their entire life? This man was all that held me here.

I pushed Jake down on the bed and pressed my body close to him. The warmth of his skin was overwhelming. I couldn't believe I had resisted him—he was right in front of me the whole time. I had desired Nahuel out of lust, out of intense emotions that needed to be pacified. Now, I wanted Jake, my soulmate, someone whom I had grown to love. Someone who wanted me for me, not because I was the only female of his kind who wasn't his sister. Someone who genuinely loved me back.

Jake lifted up to kiss me once more, grabbing my hips with his enormous palms. As he began to pull my shirt over my head, I remembered something.

I glanced down at my left hand and saw Nahuel's wooden ring. I immediately removed it from my ring finger and flung it into the darkness of the room.

Nahuel was no more. There was only Jake—_my Jake_. And after tonight, I knew we would never be the same again.

Jake rolled me over and began to kiss my neck, moving his lips all the way down to my waist. My entire being surged with desire, and my eyes began to fall into the back of my head. When he reached the top of my jeans, he slowly unbuttoned and unzipped them, carefully removing them with his large fingers. He tossed them to the side and then pulled off my black panties. I rose up, yanking and ripping his boxers off with one hand; Jake looked up at me, his expression molded into a smirk. I returned his crooked smile, marveling at his gorgeous body. His muscular, brown skin glowed in the moonlight streaming through the window. Man, he was so sexy, and my being was about to explode at the notion of feeling him inside me. He grabbed my head with both palms and kissed me fiercely, laying me down again on the bed. I reached my fingers behind my back to unhook my bra and threw it carelessly across the room.

Then, Jake abruptly stopped, looking into my brown eyes.

"Are you sure about this, Nessie?" He whispered, his heart was thrumming a hundred beats per minute. His inconsistent breath sent goosebumps down my chest and onto my arms.

"Jake, I've never wanted anything more in my life." I elevated my head, so that I could taste his sweet lips again. I bit down slightly on his bottom lip, running my fingers down his sculpted back, and then begged, "Make love to me . . . please."

Jake's mouth formed the widest smile, and he placed his legs between mine, spreading my legs apart at the same time. The tension inside me was about to boil over; I couldn't take it any much longer. He guided himself into me and let out a short moan. It felt amazing, and I closed my eyes.

"I love you, Nessie." Jake kissed my lips.

"I love you, too, Jake." And with my reply, he began to pull in and out of me. I could feel it everywhere from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. It was the most exhilarating feeling I had ever felt. I had read that the first time was always awkward and somewhat painful, but I guess that didn't apply to us. We fit together so perfectly. I couldn't really describe how it made me feel in that moment. All I knew is that it felt so . . . _right_.

Jake caressed my breasts with one hand while steadying his body with the other. Extreme pleasure jolted like electricity throughout my body, and I moaned when he thrust himself into me even harder.

Then, suddenly, I felt this overwhelming tingling start to gradually build from my waist. It kept building, and I immediately pressed my hands against his bottom to move him deeper inside me.

"Jake!" I screamed, gasping for air, and the feeling came to climax. It surged throughout my body, and I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. Jake let out a small cry of satisfaction after me, and I knew he had just finished as well.

He collapsed on top of me, his body doused in sweat. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed the black hair on the top of his head. Neither of us said a word; we just held each other, relishing in the utter contentment that we had just willingly and lovingly given part of ourselves to the other.

**Attn: Many of my readers in the past were worried that Nessie & Jake slept together too soon. Here is my reasoning for this. Simply put, they are imprints. Nessie gave into the imprint "voodoo magic" to use one of my fave reader's words; they are meant for each other. Nessie even said herself that it felt so "right." Their relationship is only going to get better after this night. Please stay tuned and review! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 13: They're going to kill us! (Renesmee's POV)**

There we were several minutes later, holding each other tightly under the covers. The entire room was still, and all I could hear was the sound of Jake's even breathing. It reminded me of waves on the ocean as the tide came to greet the sand. His fingers slowly stroked the sides of my right arm, and then, he softly placed a kiss on my forehead. I was blissfully happy.

"How long have you been waiting to do that?" I asked and kissed his warm shoulder in turn.

"With you? Not long, but I am a man, you know." I felt Jake's laughter vibrate under my ear as I laid my head on his bare chest, and it made me smile. "You were _definitely_ worth the wait."

"It wasn't what I was expecting it to be." I rose up, propping myself on my elbow, and thought—_it was so much better_.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Jake bellowed and moved closer to me.

Laughing, I rolled over on top of him and grabbed both sides of his head. I showed Jake everything that I had experienced moments ago—my realization that I loved him, how I had desired to give myself wholly to him, the intense pleasure I felt making love to him. Without warning, Jake suddenly jerked my hands away, his lips were on mine again, and his hands were telling me that he was ready for Round 2.

"Wait, Jake." I broke my lips free from his kisses and frowned. "You know, I'm going off to Dartmouth in January."

"I know." Jake languidly moved his lips to my chest as he whispered. "And I'm coming with you."

"My dad's gonna freak out if you—_oh—my—god_!" My eyes were rolling back into my head at the sensation of his touch. It was exhilarating. "N—ot t—o mention Rosalie."

Jake abruptly stopped and gazed into my brown eyes. "Didn't you say Edward said it was up to you? To make up your _own_ mind about who to be with? Then, who cares what anyone else thinks! This is our lives, Nessie. There's no way I'm letting you go off to college without me. If Blondie tries to stop me, I'll stake her!"

"You know you can't stake vampires, Jake. You'd hit the floor before you even thought about it." I playfully punched him in the arm.

"Ow, that hurt. You're tougher than you look." Jake was kissing me once more, and I wanted more than anything to show him how tough I could be in that moment . . .

But we were interrupted by ringing from Jake's phone on the nightstand.

"Don't touch it. Dad will get it." He stopped to tell me and then pressed his lips back to mine.

"What if it's my dad, Jake?" I slipped out from under Jake's blankets, but he had my arm in a vice grip. "It's getting late. I need to go."

"Stay the night, please?" Jake attempted to persuade me.

"You know I can't. My dad will be furious!" I scanned the littered carpet. "Man, Jake, you really ought to tidy up in here! I can't find my bra anywhere!"

"You mean, this bra?" Jake had found it on the opposite side of the bed and spun it around his finger tauntingly. "Well, you can't have it! It's mine now—you know, a little souvenir of our first time."

"You, dog!" I jumped back under the covers, wrestling him for my bra. "Give it to me! If I don't get home soon, I'm gonna be the one in the dog house!" I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe, and Jake's tickling fingers weren't helping the situation.

"Hmm, hmm—well, I guess, you made up!" We both froze and peered up from under the blanket to see Billy Black as he chuckled jovially at the sight before him.

"Dad! Um—we were just--" Jake was blushing, and I embarrassingly made sure the covers were effectively doing their job. "Um, it's not what you think!"

"Sure, it's not." Billy smirked at him and turned his attention to me. "That was Alice. I guess, you'd better get on home now, Nessie. She said Edward's pacing the floor."

"Thanks, Billy." I shyly told him as he wheeled himself out of the room. I was completely and utterly mortified.

"Whoa, that was surreal." Jake hurriedly began to dress and tossed me the clothes he had discovered on the floor beside his bed. "He's never gonna let me live this down."

"Oh, crap, I hope Alice didn't see what happened tonight! My mom and dad will kill me!" I slapped my hand to my face, realizing what I might have to endure when I got home.

"No—they'll kill _me_!" Jake jokingly exclaimed. "They've always wanted to since you were born. Now, they'll finally have a good reason."

"Don't joke about it, Jake. I don't want to disappoint them. They have such high hopes for me." I replied, almost blinded by preludes to tears, and pulled on my jeans.

Jake, fully dressed, pulled me to him and cupped my face in his soft palms. "You could never disappoint them, Nessie. They unconditionally love you, like my dad loves me." Then, he kissed me passionately. I felt it all the way to my knees—for a second, there I thought they might fail me.

"Sorry, Jake, I need to go." I reluctantly pushed him off and finished dressing. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous." Jake smiled at me and placed one last kiss on my cheek. "Call me before they send out the lynch mob, so I can get a running start."

"I will." Jake made me laugh, and it seemed to relax me a little. Though I didn't want to leave him so soon, I sprinted from Jake's house, hoping with all my heart and soul that Uncle Jasper would be there when I got home . . .

As I leapt over the river that flowed beside my grandparents' house, I could discern a dark silhouette of someone waiting by the front door. It was Alice.

"Alice," I tried to play it cool; maybe, she didn't see what Jake and I just did. "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting on you. I was worried about you—you know, I can't see you, you little half-breed." She flashed me her dazzling smile. "And you did leave my party without its guest of honor!"

_Thank God_. The weight on my shoulders lifted. I let out a quiet breath.

"Sorry, I left the party. I know you worked so hard on it." I tightly threw my arms around my aunt. "Everything was so perfect."

"It's okay, sweetie." Alice sniffed my hair, releasing me, and my eyes widened in fear. "Eek, Nessie, you reek of Jacob!"

"Nessie!" My mom darted from the house, arms outstretched, and I saw him—my dad was now standing in the doorway. A look of relief crossed his face.

As I hugged my mother, I let down my shield and confessed to him, skipping the details. _It's all said and done, Dad. I've made my choice._

He let out a short sigh and flitted beside us, lovingly wrapping his arms around us. I knew in that moment that Jake had been right. I was the luckiest half-human, half-vampire—I mean, _woman_ alive.

**Attn: I posted an additional chapter just for Halloween. Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 14: Intruder (Edward's POV)**

I found myself that same night erectly positioned on the bench of my grand piano in our cottage. Your mother motionlessly lounged on the small sofa in the living room beside me, her mind deeply enthralled in _Wuthering Heights_ yet again. My stone-cold fingers lightly stroked the keys to a tune I had played numerous times. Luckily, I knew it by heart for my mind was elsewhere.

It had been the longest day I could remember. This day had been wealthily more eventful that I had previously expected. You did in fact venture to Jacob's house and had made your choice—hastily and much too quickly to my liking. But nevertheless, it made you happy and that was all that mattered to me. You were sleeping peacefully in your bedroom not too far down the hall.

Then, my fingers sourly hit the wrong note. My body tensed, and in that moment, I heard your sleeping thoughts. Another nightmare, the same nightmare, was occurring once more.

"Edward?" Your mother called to me, but I had blown passed her and was standing at your bedroom door.

"Nessie's having another bad dream, love. I'll go to her." You were in my arms as fast as my reflexes allowed.

"Nessie?" I softly attempted to wake you. I couldn't bear to see you in pain; you were dreaming about your death. Something I feared more than anything else in the world. "Are you all right?"

"Dad," You wiped the sleep away from your eyes with your knuckles. "Where am I?"

"You're safe, darling." I slowly caressed your back, trying to soothe you. "You had another nightmare."

"Thanks, Dad." You embarrassingly pulled away, sensing my desire to constantly adhere to your every need. You were in fact still my little girl. And you always would be.

"It's the same one you've been having for awhile," I replied. Earlier that evening, you had confessed that you had been shielding your thoughts from me; however, I could still read your thoughts while you slumbered. I would have wished nothing more than to have witnessed the conversation you had with Jacob that night. I imagined that you two had embraced and maybe even shared a first kiss. His scent was still fragrant on the fibers of your skin.

"I'm okay, really, Dad. It's nothing." You obliged me with a smile and a gentle kiss on the cheek. "It's been a long day _and_ night."

"I guess, it has." Sensing that you wanted to get back to sleep, I stood up and began to exit the room. Without warning, my nostrils flared, and Nahuel's distinct fragrance filled the entire room. "Someone's waiting outside your window. I think you probably have a good idea who it is."

"Yes." You didn't look pleased, but I could tell you wanted to be left alone.

"I'll let you handle it then. Goodnight, Nessie." I swiftly left the room, closed your bedroom door, and pressed my rigid body against the wooden frame. I could hear his thoughts now; they were passionate, intense, and completely full of rage. I couldn't leave you. I waited anxiously behind your door until you needed me. It was most extremely torturous.

"Renesmee, can I come in? Please?" I heard him say. He was in your room now.

"Nahuel, go home! I don't want to talk to you!" You screeched.

"Renesmee, please, I need to know if you still love me—if you still want me." _I want her. She's the only woman of my kind. I need her. I need to feel myself inside of her—her belly ripe with my child. She's all I've ever wanted._ I ferociously growled at his thoughts. It was maddening. I wanted to murder him—rip out his still-beating heart and swallow it whole.

"No, I don't want to see you ever again! Now, get away from me!" I heard you then exclaim. I grasped the door frame and it cracked under my grip. It took all my strength to not bust through the door at that moment.

"You slept with him, didn't you? I can smell his dog stench all over you." _She screwed the wolf out of spite. She's gonna pay for that._ Nahuel's mind entered mine, and rage was overtaking me.

"Yes, and I've chosen him!" You confirmed his thoughts. I didn't what to think about that just now. I had to rescue you—I could sense he was about to do more that just hurt you.

_Get him out of here, Dad! Before he hurts me! Again._ Your shield failed and your voice was in my head.

"You know, he won't live forever. He's going to die someday, and you'll be all alone." _We could be together forever. I'll make her see if it means I have to do it by force._ That was the final straw, and I heard no more of your conversation.

I burst through the door and instantly took him into my arms. I thrust him down on the bed, and it hopelessly split in half from the force of my hands. I had him by the throat, my eyes burning with the rage I felt battling James in the ballet studio many years prior.

"You bastard! How dare you think about my daughter that way!" I easily lifted Nahuel's body with one hand and flung it into the wall. His form branded the wall with a gaping hole, and then he fell limp to the carpeted floor. "How dare you threaten her!"

I couldn't read his thoughts now. Good, he was unconscious. I angrily stormed over to his worthless figure, hoisted him into my arms, and forcefully slammed him down on your piano, pulverizing it in the process. What an utter waste, but it could be replaced—my daughter could not.

I left him, helpless and lifeless on the floor, and hurried over to you, placing one hand on your cheek and the other on your heart. You were unconscious also, but your heart was thrumming like a drum.

"Edward!" Your mother screamed, running to your side. "What happened? Is Nessie okay?"

"She'll be fine—as for him--" I turned to see Nahuel stirring and picking himself up from amongst the remains of the crushed piano. "Stay with her. I'm not finished with him yet!"

Purposefully, I grabbed his crotch and yanked with all my might, pinning him against the wall. He let out a shrieking wail of agony as I screamed in his ear, "Now, you listen to me, half-breed! You leave my daughter and our family alone—Jacob, too! Or I will hunt you down, rip you apart, and burn the pieces! It will be as if you never existed! Do you get me?"

I didn't wait for him to answer. I effortlessly raised his body and chunked it out the window—broken pieces of glass by the thousands flew everywhere. Nahuel landed with a loud thud a few hundred yards away. I jumped onto ledge outside the window to observe my work, and he cowardly took off limping through the woods.

"Good riddance." I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was Jacob.

"Jacob, what are you doing here?" I lashed out at him; I was still in my protective mode.

"Sorry, man, I was just outside the front door when I heard all the commotion." Jacob was now by your side. His thoughts were racing with concern for you. I regained my composure and rushed to your side.

Then, Jacob glanced up to me. _I was coming to talk to you about Nessie and me. I think you might need a new front door though._ Great, something else that needed replacing.

"Nessie?" Jacob's full attention was now on your wellbeing. "It's okay. Nahuel's run away. Are you hurt?"

Your eyes slowly opened, and with extreme urgency, you flung your arms tightly around him.

"Thanks for saving her." Jacob showed his appreciation for my actions. _Thank you so much for talking to her for me, too, Edward. She loves me back. Can you believe it? She wants me! Nahuel broke her heart earlier and now he's the one who's . . ._

"A little fear will do him some good." I boasted, taking in all that Jacob had just professed to me. He truly loved you, and he was overjoyed that you had returned his affection—maybe a little too much affection. I shook away my thoughts and bent down to assist Jacob in helping you stand. "Are you all right, darling?"

"I'm fine." You dazedly stood on your feet, gazing in wonder at the sight around you. "What did you _do_, Dad?"

"Let's just say you won't have to worry about him anymore. Your dad can be _very_ convincing," your mother intervened, causing Jacob and I to keel over in laughter. You looked a little befuddled.

Then, I placed my hand on Jacob's shoulder to steady myself and grinned at him. He glanced over at you, and his thoughts slipped away from him—almost as if he was unaware that I was in the room.

_Damn, she looks sexy in those pajamas. Man, if the bed wasn't smashed . . ._

I closed my eyes, secretly wishing I hadn't heard that. It took all the strength I could muster not to toss him out the window after Nahuel.

**Attn: Please review and thanks for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 15: My dad, the hero (Nessie's POV of Chapter 14 of My Renesmee)**

I was running through the woods . . . my heart was thumping like a drum . . . someone . . . something was pursuing me . . . the mist hanging amidst the trees was blinding me . . . I couldn't see the path before me . . . I was tripping . . . falling . . . down . . . I could feel its breath on my neck . . . its teeth sinking into the flesh of my neck . . . the darkness closing in . . . death slowly taking me over . . .

"Nessie?" I awoke with a start. I was cradled in someone's arms. I instinctively knew who it was—I'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Are you all right?"

"Dad," I blinked my eyes and attempted to rub the dream away from my eyes with both fists. "Where am I?"

"You're safe, darling." My father massaged the small of my back. "You had another nightmare."

"Thanks, Dad." I emptied his arms and sat beside him on the bed. It seemed no matter how mature I was, I would always be his little girl.

"It's the same one you've been having for awhile," he said. It was impossible to control my shield in my sleep, and the expression on my dad's face was kind of smug. It sucked having a mind-reader for a father sometimes, but at least now I could control my waking thoughts. Others' thoughts however . . .

"I'm okay, really, Dad. It's nothing." I gave him a smile and a small peck on his left cheek. "It's been a long day _and_ night."

"I guess, it has." He lifted his body from the bed and walked toward my bedroom door. Then, suddenly, he deeply inhaled. I could smell it, too. "Someone's waiting outside your window. I think you probably have a good idea who it is."

"Yes," I gritted my teeth, anger beginning to build up inside me.

"I'll let you handle it then. Goodnight, Nessie." And like a flash, my dad was gone.

A deliberately loud tap on my window startled me from behind. I turned, and there he was—Nahuel. I wanted to rip him apart and burn the pieces.

"Renesmee, can I come in? Please?" Without waiting for my answer, Nahuel began sliding open my window and climbing onto my bed.

"Nahuel, go home! I don't want to talk to you!" I jumped from the bed and stood as far away from him as I could.

"Renesmee, please, I need to know if you still love me—if you still want me." He was standing right beside me now. I could feel his cold, wet breath on my face.

"No, I don't want to see you ever again! Now, get away from me!" I screamed at him, attempting to push him away.

"You slept with him, didn't you? I can smell his dog stench all over you." Nahuel's strong arms had me pinned to the wall. He was so much stronger than me. I'd never been more frightened and helpless in my life.

"Yes, and I've chosen him!" I shouted, trying to break free from his paralyzing grasp. I lowered my shield and cried out for my dad's help.

Get him out of here, Dad! Before he hurts me! Again.

"You know, he won't live forever." Nahuel's voice was right under my ear, his breath on my neck. "He's going to die someday, and you'll be all alone."

I was blinded by his remark. I couldn't breathe, and I was falling, sinking to the floor. My heart pounded in my chest. I heard his foggy voice like an echo in my head, "Choose me instead. I'll be here . . . forever."

Everything in the room drifted into a haze. It was almost like an out-of-body experience. All I could remember was a loud boom . . . the earsplitting sound of shattering glass . . . a thud. Whatever had occurred didn't sound hopeful . . . the blackness closed in on me . . . and everything fell . . . silent . . .

"Nessie?" A sweet voice called out to me from amongst the darkness. "It's okay. Nahuel's run away. Are you hurt?"

I opened my eyes. Jake's concerned eyes peered down at me. He was like a dream. I immediately flung my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, tears overflowing my eyes. I could never lose him.

"Thanks for saving her." Jake was now speaking to someone else. I released myself from Jake's embrace, and looked up to see my father and my mother, standing beside us. I was astonished.

"A little fear will do him some good." My dad was mildly amused, assisting Jake in helping me off the floor. "Are you all right, darling?"

"I'm fine." As I stood up, I noticed the entire room was a wreck—shards of glass were scattered everywhere, my piano was smashed to bits, and my bed was snapped in two. "What did you _do_, Dad?"

"Let's just say you won't have to worry about him anymore. Your dad can be _very_ convincing," my mother retorted. They all howled with laughter, but I didn't get the punchline.

Then, my dad put his hand on Jake's shoulder and smiled at him. I'd never seen my dad like this with Jake—they were almost friendly.

Jake turned to me, and we shared an awkward glance. I hoped he wasn't thinking what I thought he was thinking . . . or Jake might be the one thrown out the window next time.

**Attn: Please review! Thanks. :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 16: I'm going to explode! (Renesmee's POV)**

My dad was being completely unreasonable! Both my parents were! After the night I had officially chosen Jake and my dad heroically defended my honor against Nahuel, my parents had sat down with Jake and me, and we discussed the "boundaries" of our relationship. My bedroom was totally off limits—we couldn't go in there alone. My mom had appointed Rosalie, who loathed Jake more than a cracked mirror, to be my official "hunt partner" when she or my dad could not come with me. I also couldn't go to La Push by myself. What were they trying to do? Send me to my eternal grave? No, they were trying to protect my virginity—or lack thereof! Oops!

"You haven't thought about you-know-what around my dad, have you?" I asked Jake, who was seated on my grandparents' couch one rainy afternoon. Rain in Forks, who would have thought? Sigh. Anyway, I had warned Jake not to think about our night together around my dad. He would go ballistic if he knew the truth. My parents had left me in the care of Rosalie and Emmett while they went on a "hunting trip"—we all knew what that meant. Yuck! I was a grown woman. Why did I need a babysitter?

"I don't think I have. I would know, right?" Jake chuckled and slowly ran his fingers through my long wavy hair. "It's been very difficult for me though, especially when you're in the room."

I lay my head in his lap gazing up at him. Man, he was beautiful. I couldn't believe I had been so blind before. His biceps bulged from beneath his La Push High School T-shirt, and I felt this sudden urge to release them from their captivity. It took all I could to control myself around him anymore.

Where were these desires coming from? My mom had told me once that vampires were easily distracted and that they possessed strong, intense emotions. Sexual desires were powerful and hard to overcome—never to be fully satisfied. I was half-vampire, but also half-human. Maybe, my human side was helping my immortal one a little bit, but I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to take it.

"Emmett's been absolutely unbearable these past few days." I shook away my thoughts, trying to distract myself. "I can't go around him anymore with some kind of hoot or holler at me."

"What do you mean?" Jake was twirling strands of my hair with his fingers.

"You know, making little jokes—it's like he knows, but he won't dare do it around my dad. Only when it's just the two of us." I closed my eyes. Damn it, his fingers needed to move a little further down . . . keep control of yourself, girl!

"I knew I liked Emmett. He looks like a dumb jock, but he can be very perceptive. Let's have some fun with him." Jake winked at me, grabbed my neck with both brawny hands, and fiercely placed his lips to mine.

That's all it took, and my being was on fire. I practically leapt into his lap, closing the space between us until there was none left. His hands moved down to my hips, and I could hardly contain my sanity. I would break the couch if I had to. He was mine.

"Get your hands off her, Jake. You know the rules." Aunt Rosalie was now standing beside the couch. I groaned at her and dismounted Jake. Man, I hated those rules! Jake slapped my bottom as I stood up, and Rosalie hissed at him. "You just wait until Edward hears about this, Jake!"

"No, he won't." Jake flashed his teeth at her. "Hey, Rose, what do you get when you put blonds in a row?"

"I've heard that one before, Jake! Why don't you run along home now? I heard Billy's got some new kibble for you!" Rosalie angrily growled.

Emmett breezed up to her left from upstairs—his Wii controller still in hand, "Damn, I missed it, didn't I?"

"Emmett, you—errrrrr!" Rosalie forcefully punched him in the shoulder and flew back up the stairs, murmuring obscenities to herself.

"Sorry she ruined your fun, you little lovebirds!" Emmett gave Jake an exaggerated noogie and darted up the stairs after her.

"That was priceless!" Jakes busted out in laughter, holding his stomach.

I stayed quiet, looking down at my bare feet. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I was saddened by Jake's carelessness, my heart completely downtrodden. I was even more ashamed of myself.

"Nessie, what's wrong?" He stood up and took me into his arms. "I know. I shouldn't have . . . I'm sorry."

I couldn't speak. I was on the verge of tears . . .

"Nessie? Jake?" My mom's voice called from back door, and Jake and I shyly broke apart. When she entered the living room and saw my expression, she was concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry. I upset her, but I would like to make it up to her—with your permission, of course." I peered up from my feet and wondered where Jake was going with this.

"And when will she be home?" My dad was now in the room. Great, another private conversation was going on in my dad's head.

"The carnival closes at eleven." Jake smiled at me, pinching my chin.

"Then, she should be home no later than eleven thirty." My dad said firmly, tossing Jake the keys to his old Volvo.

"The _carnival_?" I questioned Jake, and he began pulling me out the front door by my arm. But he didn't respond.

"ELEVEN THIRTY, JACOB! NOT ONE SECOND LATER!" I heard my dad call after us as we headed out toward the garage.

**Attn: Please review! And I left you a second post . . . :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 17: I've never had so much fun in my life! (Renesmee's POV)**

Within seconds, we were speeding down the road toward downtown Forks in my dad's shiny, silver Volvo. Jake had said something about a carnival, but I wasn't sure if he was being completely truthful. Nevertheless, my heart raced with elation that I was finally away from my family for a while. I rolled down the window, letting the crisp wind blow on my face. Thankfully, it had stopped raining for the moment.

Over the past seven years of my life, I had hardly seen the city of Forks or its citizens for that matter. We only went into town to shop or to visit my mom's dad, Charlie, and his wife, Sue. It was difficult to pass me off as my parents' daughter—the age thing again—so now I officially was known as Nessie Masen, my father's biological sister. My mother had suggested that I pose as his sister since, according to her, I looked more like my dad. Although, my dad had always insisted that I resembled my mother. Anyway, everyone in town knew my mom was an only child; Charlie was the police chief after all.

"I can't believe Edward still drives this old thing!" Jake pronounced, strenuously pressing the accelerator with all of his might. "He's filthy rich—he could have the latest model, but what does he do? Drives this old beat-up piece of crap!"

"Jake, it reminds him of dating my mom. He'll never get rid of it." I returned my face to the wind, my mind still searching for our real destination.

"Oh, right." Jake gave it a rest, flipped on the radio, and tuned it to a classic rock station. "Now, _that's_ music!"

I immediately turned it off. "Jake, where are we going? And how did you convince my dad to let us go?"

"The carnival—like I said. I have my ways—look, there it is." Jake's right index finger pointed up ahead. He wasn't joking. We were actually going to a carnival. I had to admit it—I was a little disappointed. I could tell he sensed my unease. "Trust me. This will be the best experience of your life."

"Doubt it. I've already had that." I laughed and playfully placed a kiss on his lips.

"Give it a chance. You'll see." He parked my dad's car and opened the passenger door for me. "Miss Cullen, may I have your arm, please?"

"You may, good sir." I decided to play along and linked my arm with his. Maybe, Jake was right. He was right about a lot of things . . .

The carnival was alive with excitement and action. I had only read about them in books, and it didn't disappoint. After Jake bought us wristbands that would permit us to enjoy all the amusements as many times as we desired, he thought he would try to win me a stuffed animal at one of the booths. And Jake being Jake knocked down all the stacked cups on the first try, and without hesitation, I chose a giant brown wolf. We rode this weird, swirling ride that left me dizzy. Man, I wished I had more vampire in me at times, so I wouldn't be so vulnerable to human ailments.

Then, I caught the scent of something called chili dogs—I don't want to know what they're made of, so don't tell me—and I had to have one. I preferred ingesting blood, but human food had its appeal at times. It was delicious beyond compare. Jake successfully devoured three in several bites.

After riding the ever-thrilling bumper cars, Jake and I passed by something called a "karaoke" booth. I knew what it was, but I had only seen Emmett do it once at a Denali vampire's "birthday" party. Jake was ecstatic.

"Hey, karaoke! Let's try it!" He eagerly tugged me toward the booth.

"Jake, no! I can't sing!" I protested, trying to break his grip. I wasn't ready for public humiliation just yet.

"I've heard you sing and your voice is beautiful." Jake sweetly kissed my forehead. "But I won't make you do it! As for me--" And with that, he had flown up onstage and grabbed the microphone from the now-finished singer.

Jake quickly chose a song, and the melody began. I recognized it immediately. Aerosmith—Jake's favorite. It made me smile.

"Oh, oh, oh, I love to look into your big brown eyes . . ." Jake began, holding out his hand toward me. He definitely could not sing, but it made me blush anyway. "They talk to me and seem to hypnotize. . ."

Hoots and wails by the dozens resounded from the crowd that had now gathered around us. Despite our newly-found audience, I continued to listen intently to his serenade. It was so incredibly goofy, but my heart melted. Jake was not afraid to embarrass himself to declare his love for me, and I was eating it up.

"I love ya cause your deuces are wild, girl, like a double shot of lovin' so fine! I've been lovin' you since you was a child, girl, cause you and me is two of a kind!" Jake exaggeratedly did a brief air-guitar solo. Then, he energetically leapt from the stage and landed right in front of me. Grabbing my right hand, he placed a swift kiss on my knuckles and adoringly smiled up at me.

The throng enthusiastically erupted in applause, and Jake winked at me. I was completely smitten.

_I love you, Jake._ I shared with him while his hand was still holding mine. His eyes returned to me from the crowd, and he gently whispered in my ear, "I love you, too, Nessie . . ."

Cuddling my new stuffed wolf to my chest, I looked over at Jake, who was now responsibly driving me home. I felt as if I had wandered into a teen movie for a moment, and I didn't want the credits to roll just yet.

"Thanks, Jake, that was so . . . sweet." I could feel the tears coming on.

"You haven't seen nothing yet. The night's not over." Jake declaredly announced, pointing to the digital clock on the dashboard. "It's only ten."

"This isn't the way home, is it? Where are we going?" I immediately filled with jubilation. He was full of surprises tonight.

"Let's just say I called in a favor." He answered, grinning from ear to ear, and I realized that we were readily speeding toward La Push.

"When did you--" I put my left hand on his knee, remembering my parents' stipulations. "But I'm not allowed to go to La Push by myself, Jake!"

"And you're not." Jake boasted, looking very proud of himself. He had obviously discovered the loophole. And he was right; I wouldn't be alone.

Suddenly, the Volvo came to halt just inside the border to La Push, and Jake killed the engine and cut off the headlights. "We're here."

Jake looked over at me, the moonlight reflecting off his beautiful face, and I could tell what he was thinking. I couldn't get my seatbelt off fast enough. Before I could even think about it, he had flung open my car door and seized me into his massive arms. The stuffed wolf fell to the wet pavement, forgotten.

Sprinting, Jake carried me through the woods to an unknown destination, but I didn't care at the moment. I was distracted by the taste of his lips on mine. I was burning, pulsating on the inside at the warmth of his body against mine. Finally, he would be mine again. I couldn't bear the tension much more.

Then, Jake broke free from my kisses and glanced ahead of us.

"Seth is the man!" Jake exclaimed, gesturing to the moonlit clearing in the woods just ahead.

In it sat a large, erected tent. It was like a sprinkling oasis in a dry, desolate desert. I turned my attention back to Jake and lifted my eyebrows to show him my approval. With the utmost haste, he began to kiss me once more, his tongue dancing in sync with mine. He promptly started to run toward the tent, still cradling me in his arms. But I couldn't take it anymore and virtually jumped out of his embrace. I forcefully shoved Jake with all my vigor to the damp ground, and we never made it to the tent . . .

**Attn: If you've never heard "Deuces Are Wild" by Aerosmith, Youtube it. It's probably one of my faves, and it fits Jake & Nessie so well. Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 18: What a way to kill the mood! (Renesmee's POV)**

"Thank you for tonight, Jake." We now were under the cover of the tent, snuggled up together in an oversized sleeping bag. The entire tent was illuminated by a small kerosene lantern, which hung from the roof by a single hook. Rivulets of rain were angrily pounding the tent outside, and it provided the background music for our state of bliss. "Everything was perfect. You were right—it definitely has been the best experience of my life. I don't want it to end."

"Me either. It feels good to be bad sometimes, doesn't it?" Jake pulled me closer—if that was even possible—and touched his lips to mine, letting it linger.

"Yes, but I still want to know what you told my dad in that big head of yours to get us here!" I finally answered and rolled over on top of him.

"I asked him if I could take you to the carnival and if I could borrow his car. That's it." Jake simply replied, his eyes sparkling with the light from above us.

"You mean, you didn't think about this part, but I thought you said--" This obviously took some preparation beforehand. How could Jake block his intentions completely out of his head?

"Remember when I got a call on my cell at the carnival and I left you to answer it."

"I remember. You said it was your dad—it was Seth, wasn't it?" That scheming dog!

"Yeah, he called to say Leah was out looking for me, but then I got the idea for this and asked him to set it up for us. I knew you wanted to be alone together again. It's been almost two weeks!" Jake's expression was smug, and he began kissing my neck where traces of Nahuel's bite marks could no longer be found.

"Remind me to thank him later." I thoroughly relished the touch of his lips on my skin. Man, I was so easily distracted! Then, the wheels in my mind began turning, and I rolled off him. "Jake! Seth's good friends with my dad, and he's sort of my uncle! How could you do this? He'll tell on us for sure—or at least his mind will!"

Without saying a word, Jake slipped out of the sleeping bag, unzipped the door to the tent, and a few seconds later returned fully dressed, doused with raindrops and my clothes in hand. I could sense that I had said something wrong.

"It's almost eleven." The tone of Jake's voice convinced me that he was livid. "I need to get you home to daddy." He then tossed me my now-soaked clothes.

"What's wrong, Jake?" I confusedly asked him. What had I said to make him so angry with me?

"I hate this, Nessie. I try to romance you, and you keep bringing up how Edward will be furious that we've slept together." Jake didn't even look at me as he spoke, but at least he was being honest with me. "I can't take this much longer. I might just go ahead and tell him myself if he doesn't already know. I might lose my life in the process, but I'm already in hell as it is!"

His confession made me frown, and I searched for the right words to say. I was disgusted with myself. I had to go and ruin a perfect moment with my apprehensions. How pathetic could I get?

"I'm sorry, Jake. I told you before that I don't want them to think I've failed them." Somber tears were streaming down my cheeks.

Jake sighed, pulled me into his arms, and instantly relaxed. "I overreacted. I know it means a lot to you, but don't I mean something to you, too? We should be happy, and I feel like were being forced to be miserable. We have to steal away to have these moments together."

"You're exactly right." I gasped for air between sobs. Being in his arms made me so utterly content. We had been best friends for my entire life, and now we were soulmates, destined to be together. Why shouldn't we be happy? Why should we be denied what our hearts desired?

"I love you, Nessie. I really do. I want to be with you always." Jake then let me go, nervously fumbling for something in his soaked shorts' pocket. "That's why, well, um . . . I didn't plan on doing this tonight, but--" He was now hiding something between his huge hands. My heart started to thump wildly in my chest; I could feel it beating in my ears. I knew what he was about to do.

"I know this is going to be incredibly cheesy, but . . . I mean it with all of my heart." Jake closed his eyes as if he was mustering up the strength needed to speak the next words. He then confidently opened them, let out a breath, and grabbed my left hand with his own. "Renesmee Carlie Cullen . . . will you _marry_ me?"

A small, opened black box was now positioned in his right hand. A shiny, silvery ring with a modest heart-shaped diamond in the center now came into view. On each side of the heart were intricately cut details. It was completely beautiful—far beyond my wildest dreams. I couldn't speak; I was trying to keep my heart from leaping out my chest.

He shyly blushed when he saw my eyes admire the ring. Yes, Jake was blushing! "I know it's not much. My dad helped me buy it. I know you're used to extravagant gifts, but--"

"It's perfect." I interrupted him. My sadness was forgotten, and my entire being filled with elation. I peered up at his flushed cheeks and simply said, "Yes."

"I will do this right from now on. Let's get married before you go to New Hampshire. Then, they'll have to let me be with you." Jake was so persuasive, but I liked where he was headed. "I know Edward wants us to wait until you're done with college, but why put off the inevitable? Bella and him got married the summer after she graduated from high school—before _she_ was supposed to go off to college." And with those words, he slipped the ring on my left hand. A perfect fit indeed.

"And then they had me." I said under my breath, holding my hand up to the lantern to take in its splendor. But I didn't think he heard me.

"Hmm?" Jake scooped me into his arms, lovingly kissing me at the thought of becoming my husband. But I ignored his question. He had me under his spell again, and I had a feeling I was going to be late getting home.

**Attn: Please review! :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 19: Whew, I'm glad that's over! (Renesmee's POV)**

"Edward's going to kill me!" Jake tensely asserted as the Volvo hurriedly accelerated back to my grandparents' house from La Push. Buckets of rain poured down from the dreary, night sky, making it difficult to see the road before us.

"Relax, Jake. We're going to make it. We have five more minutes!" It was a little comical to watch him panic. I just hoped he wouldn't phase and subsequently crash the car into a tree. Then, we would really be late. "Just-calm-down."

Jake's giant fists frantically gripped the steering wheel, and then his shoulders softened. I could have such a calming effect on him sometimes.

We were completely drenched from head-to-toe, and my sky-blue dress was little muddy from being left outside the tent on the ground. My poor stuffed wolf had drowned also. I didn't know what I was going to tell my parents about my clothes or Jake's clothes for that matter. Maybe, they wouldn't ask. It _was_ raining cats and dogs outside.

"Just in time," Jacob announced, letting out a short breath and guiding the Volvo onto the long driveway to the large, white house. "Let's tell them tonight. You know, about our plans?"

"Yes! The sooner the better." Like him, I was ready to get it over with, but I knew he could tell I was nervous. "Who knows? Maybe, they'll say yes."

"We can always hope for the best." Jake had now parked the car in the garage. He turned off the engine and dashed over to the passenger side to open the door for me. I emptied the car, and Jake shrouded me with his arms. "I'll handle it. Don't you worry."

"What would you like to discuss with me, Jacob?" We both were startled by my dad's voice as it echoed off the garage walls. My dad's face was void of expression, but I could tell that he already knew our intentions.

Jake released me and assuredly took my left hand into his right. "Edward, Nessie and I would like to discuss something with you."

"What happened to you two?" Emmett's inquiry boomed from somewhere in the garage. Then, he was suddenly standing behind us, eyeing my muddied dress and chuckling quietly to himself. "I think I can guess."

"Emmett, give it a rest!" My dad was obviously annoyed by Emmett's thoughts. My uncle was going to be the death of me! "Jacob? Nessie? Let's go inside the house."

I glanced over at Jake, and he affirmed me that everything was going to be fine with a smile. We hurriedly ran hand-in-hand through the torrential downpour, up the front steps, and into the house. As we entered the front door, I noticed that my mom was reclining on the couch, engrossed in one of her favorite novels.

"Love, Jacob and Nessie have something they would like to tell us." My dad sat down in the recliner opposite of the couch and motioned for us to sit down as well. I automatically positioned myself beside my mom, and Jake followed suit beside me.

No one spoke for a couple of minutes. We made quite the sight—the four of us. We looked like three teenage friends gathered to share memories or funny stories about our day at school. Jake looked like our much older friend who still hung around even though he had graduated high school years ago. We didn't look like an engaged couple preparing to inform my parents about our marriage plans. It made me realize how incredibly strange my family and the situation was. But nevertheless, it was my reality.

"Edward, Bella . . ." Jake began, his hand still holding mine. "Nessie and I have decided to get married."

"We already knew that, Jake." My mom affectionately winked at me. She had known this was coming for some time—just over seven years to be exact. They both did.

"That's not the entire truth though, Bella." My dad had read Jake's thoughts, and I could sense his anger was building. Uh-oh! "Tell her, Jacob."

"Bells, you and Edward married before you were planning to go off to college, and, well, I thought Nessie and I could do the same. We've known each other for seven years. I've never been so sure of anything in my life." Jake had been a long-time friend of my mom's. I guessed he secretly hoped she would bend to his request.

"That sounds reasonable—right, Edward?" My mom was my hero! I could have leapt to the ceiling in that moment, but instead I gave her a smile to show her my appreciation. "_Edward_?"

My eyes now returned to my dad's face. He sat absolutely motionless, his attention seemed to be focused only on Jake's promise ring, which now adorned my left hand. He didn't respond, and I nervously feared he was like a time bomb waiting to explode at any moment.

"_Dad_?" I called out to him, fanning my hand in front of his face. He still didn't move a muscle. It was almost as if he had turned into a stone sculpture. What was wrong with him?

"Earth to Edward?" My mom jokingly remarked when he didn't answer me.

Jake and I glanced at each other, and he looked extremely anxious and concerned as well. And then, in an instant, I knew what I had to do.

I slowly stood up from the couch and sauntered over to my dad's side. I calmly climbed into his lap and wrapped my arms endearingly around his neck.

_Dad, Jake loves me, and I love him. Please let us get married before I go to Dartmouth. It would make me so happy._ I tenderly thought, holding him close. Instantaneously, my dad withdrew from his trance and gazed into my brown eyes.

"Of course, darling. If it makes you happy." My dad obliged, grasping me tightly with his stone-cold arms. All my worry and frustration left me as my father held me in his embrace. My mind flew back to those many nights when I had awakened to find his arms wound lovingly around me. I closed my eyes to savor this new memory of my dad. I definitely would always be his little girl.

Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling came over me, and I felt like the world was spiraling upside down. It was as if my stomach was trudging up my throat, and I started to slip from my dad's arms.

"Nessie? Are you all right?" My dad's query resounded in my head, and he caught me before I fell. I knew Jake was right beside me now; I could feel the heat of his grasp on my left shoulder.

Without warning, my body heaved, and I turned my head to the side, forcefully vomiting a gallon of blood—along with the chili dog—onto the carpet in front of them.

**Attn: Please review! What do you think is up with our Nessie?**


	20. Chapter 20

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 20: The Future (Edward's POV of Chapter 19)**

I knew you thought I was being unreasonable, but I only had your best interests at heart. You were now promised to Jacob, and, judging from his comments the night I rescued you from Nahuel, I knew Jacob was ready to consummate your relationship whenever the opportunity presented itself. I still wasn't completely trustworthy of him, and I wasn't about to let my only daughter hastily give herself away—promise or no promise. Not just yet. Still, your response to Nahuel that night regarding the subject had haunted and plagued me for the past two weeks. Maybe, I was a little too late.

Your mother equally shared my concerns, and we cooperatively agreed to lay down some ground rules for your new relationship. No venturing to La Push without someone else with you. Your Aunt Rosalie would accompany you on every hunting trip if your mother and I could not go with you. Also, being alone with Jacob in your bedroom—at our cottage and at your grandparents' house—was strictly forbidden. I wasn't taking any chances with my only daughter.

I remembered the night of the carnival when Jacob asked if he could take you there in my old Volvo. Your mother and I had just returned to your grandparents' house from a hunting trip. I could hear his thoughts all the way as I walked into the living room. Your mother was already there.

_I want to take Nessie to the carnival tonight. She needs to get out of the house for a while._

"And when will she be home?" I asked, making my presence known.

"The carnival closes at eleven." Jacob's hands were touching your skin. It pained me just a little. _I swear that's where we're going, Edward. I ran over here today, so I need to take her in your car. She's so unhappy. Please let me show her a good time._

"Then, she should be home no later than eleven thirty." I gave in, reluctantly handing over the keys to my silver Volvo. He knew just how to manipulate me into saying "yes."

"The _carnival_?" You inquired Jacob. I could tell this was a new development in your plans for the evening. However, he didn't give you an answer and quickly tugged you by the arm out the door.

"ELEVEN THIRTY, JACOB! NOT ONE SECOND LATER!" I firmly commanded as the door slammed shut in my face. I hoped that I hadn't made a huge mistake.

"They'll be fine, Edward. Just relax." You mother soothingly put her arms around me from behind. "Nessie's got a level head on her shoulders. She won't do anything rash."

"It's not _her_ I'm worried about." I huffed, already regretting my decision to let you go with him alone.

"I know what I can do to ease your mind." Your mother then pressed her hands with all her might to my forehead, and I forgot about my plight for the next few hours . . .

* * *

Later that night, at exactly eleven thirty, I heard the familiar purring of my Volvo pulling into your grandparents' garage. Jacob had kept his word; he had you back at home on time. I hurriedly sprinted out to the garage to meet the two of you, and you were standing by the car, drenched by the rain and embracing each other.

_I'm so glad she said "yes." Edward will have to let us get married now before she goes off to college. I can't lose her. I have to try to talk him into it._

"What would you like to discuss with me, Jacob?" I interrupted his thoughts with my question.

Jacob took you by the hand and simply confessed, "Edward, Nessie and I would like to discuss something with you."

"What happened to you two?" Emmett apparently had been working on his Jeep in the garage and had to put his two cents into the conversation. He could be so incorrigible in his quest to embarrass you and Jacob. "I think I can guess."

_Damn, they must have had a roll in the hay—I mean, mud!_

"Emmett, give it a rest!" My chagrin was overpowering me now. I tried to ignore his little innuendos for the moment. "Jacob? Nessie? Let's go inside the house."

I turned on my heels and pounded my feet through gathered rain puddles toward the house, searching my mind for excuses to make you wait until you completed college to wed Jacob. I wanted you to get out in the world, make some new friends—female friends—and have the opportunities to become more than just someone's lovely housewife. I had such high hopes for you, but it really wasn't up to me to make the final decision. You were a grown woman now. I guess I just didn't want to lose my little girl. It had only been seven years since you were born.

"Love, Jacob and Nessie have something they would like to tell us." I informed your mother as I entered the house and took a seat in the leather recliner in the living room. You both followed my lead and joined your mother, who was seated on the couch, book in hand.

"Edward, Bella . . ." Jacob's overgrown heart was pounding. I could hear its distinct rhythm quite clearly. "Nessie and I have decided to get married."

"We already knew that, Jake." Your mother winked at you, but I heard her purposely grit her teeth after she spoke those words. She wasn't ready for this either.

"That's not the entire truth though, Bella." My frustration was surmounting. "Tell her, Jacob."

"Bells, you and Edward married before you were planning to go off to college, and, well, I thought Nessie and I could do the same. We've known each other for seven years. I've never been so sure of anything in my life. " _Please, Bella, you're my only hope here._ Jacob added one solitary thought to his statements.

"That sounds reasonable—right, Edward?" Your mother had completely lost her mind. What was she thinking? She never let me in her head when I needed it the most. Your mother knew quite well that her planning to attend college was only a cover story for our true intentions those many years ago. And then I saw it—a silvery ring on your left ring finger. "_Edward_?"

I immediately froze as I took in the sight before me. It all became real to me in that moment. I was losing you, and my world came crashing down on me like an earthquake. My little girl didn't need me anymore.

I remembered your sweet, newborn face as your eyes peered up at me on that first day—the warmth of your cream skin in my arms. I remembered your petite body seated beside me on my piano bench as we played "Heart and Soul" together—your tiny legs dangling to its rhythm. I remembered singing you to sleep at night and gentle kisses on my cheek when you said the sweetest words I'd ever heard, "I love you, daddy." Oh, how I would miss those moments with you. It was almost unbearable.

"_Dad_?" I thought I heard your soft, musical voice, but my mind was lost in my memories of you.

Then, all of a sudden, I heard your voice as clear as a bell, calling from amongst the reminiscences in my head.

_Dad, Jake loves me, and I love him. Please let us get married before I go to Dartmouth. It would make me so happy._ My mind rushed back to the present, and I realized you were in my lap, holding me in your arms. I instantly returned your embrace. You were still here; you weren't gone just yet.

"Of course, darling. If it makes you happy." I wanted nothing more than to hold you in my arms forever. It would be difficult to let you go, but I knew you had plans that didn't involve me. It was selfish to think you would stay with your mother and me for an eternity.

Then, I felt your body abruptly convulse and slide out of my arms, and it jolted me from my thoughts.

"Nessie? Are you all right?" My arms grasped you tightly before you could topple to the floor, and you looked as if you were about to faint.

_What's wrong with her, Edward? Is she okay?_ Jacob was on his knees beside us now. Your mother was standing just behind him.

Unexpectedly, your mouth spilled a mixture of blood and human food on the floor, and my body tensed. You had never done that before, and then my mind quickly recalled—your mother had done the same just minutes before you were born.

**Attn: Please review! And what do we think is wrong with Nessie?**


	21. Chapter 21

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 21: No more chili dogs for me! (Renesmee's POV)**

"Here, drink this, Nessie." My grandfather, Carlisle, kindly slid a clear glass of crimson liquid into my hand. "See if you can hold this down."

My dad had laid me down on the couch in the living room, and my vampire family collectively encircled around my makeshift bed. Every pair of eyes was full of concern. Jake knelt by my side, his warm hand on my cheek. It was all a little embarrassing—my up-chuck reflex—but I felt so much better now that it was over. I sat up and grasped the glass with both hands, steadily bringing it up to my nose.

"Is this _blood_? It smells weird." I dazedly asked my grandpa, and my family—with the exception my dad and Jake--immediately erupted in laughter at my question. "What's so funny?"

"It's human blood, Nessie. The best in the world!" Emmett hastily answered in between his obnoxiously loud cackles. "Bottoms up."

"_Human_ blood?" I peered down at the contents of the cup, wondering how in the world they had stumbled upon it. I knew my family—they were against killing humans for sustenance at all costs. It was how I was brought up—to respect human life.

"Don't worry, Nessie. I _am_ a doctor. I can get this without hurting anyone." Grandpa Carlisle invitingly pushed the crystal glass up to my lips. "Now, drink up. I think it will make you feel better."

Jake flinched at my grandfather's suggestion, and his massive body began to restlessly quake. "Is this really necessary, Carlisle? She seems to be fine." He spoke through his teeth.

"Let's just try it, Jacob." Grandpa Carlisle assured him, and Uncle Jasper placed a hand on Jake's shoulder to calm him. "We need to see if she can keep something down just to make sure nothing else is wrong. Now, go ahead, Nessie."

"It's okay, Jake. I'll try it." I tilted back my head and let the blood flow into my mouth. The blood trickled over my tongue, and I had never tasted anything so sweet in my life. I remembered playfully biting Jake's fingers when I was an infant and ingesting some of his blood—but this was something entirely different. So _new_. It was maddeningly delectable, and I finished the whole glass in several gulps. "Wow, can I have some more?"

"Well, let's see if you can keep it down first." My grandfather chuckled along with my family. Jake was clutching my hand so tightly for a second there I thought he might accidentally crush the bones of my fingers. Jasper's touch obviously wasn't helping him much. I turned to look at my dad, and the muscles in his forehead fiercely pinched together. He didn't like this one bit either.

"Nessie, tell me. What have you eaten today? There was something else in your vomit that wasn't blood." Grandpa Carlisle inquired, glancing from my dad's pained face to mine.

"Just a chili dog from the carnival." I relayed to him.

"How long has it been since you've eaten human food before tonight?" He continued his interview to uncover the cause of my ailment.

"A year or so. I can't remember." My mind was foggy at the moment. I really couldn't recall when I had eaten anything other than the blood from animals I had killed on my hunting trips.

"Yeah, and all that birthday cake went to waste the other day," Aunt Alice sadly added. But everyone else ignored her.

"That's probably all it was." My grandpa concluded, turning to my family and then back to me. "Did Nahuel mention anything about getting sick after long periods of time without human food?"

Nahuel. I didn't want to think about him. He could fall off the face of the earth if I had anything to do with it--but I had in fact watched him regurgitate the contents of his stomach many times after he had ingested human food. "Yes, he did. I've seen it."

"That settles it then. You think I would know everything there is to know concerning medical issues judging from the centuries of study and practice I've had, but you half-breeds continue to baffle me day after day!" Grandpa Carlisle exasperatedly threw up his hands and then called to me as he exited the room. "I'll get you some more blood, Nessie."

My dad's face and body relaxed, and he let out a deliberately loud breath. Jake released his firm grip on my hand and smiled at me when he heard my grandfather's verdict.

"Now, didn't I hear something about a wedding before you had to go and ruin the carpet, Nessie?" That little eavesdropper! Leave it to my Aunt Alice to instantly change the subject of conversation when she had the opportunity. I didn't even have time to answer her before she happily danced up the stairs. "I'll be right back!"

"Oh, great, here we go." My mother grumbled, rolling her eyes, and then placed her hand on my head. "But I'm glad you're feeling better, Nessie. You had me worried there for a minute."

Aunt Rosalie tugged Emmett by the upturned collar on his shirt and left the room in a huff. Great, I had a feeling there would be someone else who would need convincing about my upcoming marriage to Jake.

"Nessie, you and Jake are getting married? That's wonderful!" My grandmother Esme enthusiastically exclaimed, hugging my shoulders with her skinny arms. "Have you set the date--"

"Alright, Nessie." Alice had returned and breezily took a seat beside me on the couch, tossing my legs heftily to the side. Jake swiftly moved to stand beside me, resting his hands on my shoulders.

My grandmother knew better than to get in Alice's way and exited the room toward the kitchen, "I'll just get something to clean up this mess!"

In her hands, Alice held some kind of book, which resembled a scrapbook, and immediately flipped through the pages. Dozens of magazine clippings from bridal magazines haphazardly covered the pages, and post-it notes were positioned to mark the most important details. "Okay, here's what I was thinking—a late November wedding. We can do a whole fall harvest kind of theme with pumpkins and cornucopias and sunflow--"

"Alice, why don't you ask what _Nessie_ would like?" My dad interjected, profusely annoyed. "It is _her_ wedding after all."

"Thanks, Dad." I looked up from the book to my father and gave him a satisfied grin. I was so proud of my dad in that moment. He was actually going along with it.

"Sure, Edward." Alice fought back the growl trapped in her throat. She had obviously been planning my wedding ever since I was born. She wasn't going to like having the tables turned on her. "Okay, Nessie, what would _you_ like?"

My eyelids were growing increasingly heavy, and I realized that I was so incredibly tired all of a sudden.

"I think maybe roses . . ." I yawned into my palm and heard my grandpa's voice as he reentered the living room.

"Here's another pint for you, Ness--"

But I was already drifting into sleep. The next thing I knew, Jake's warm arms were cradling my exhausted body and carrying me upstairs to my room.

**Attn: Please review! Do you think Carlisle is right in his diagnosis?**


	22. Chapter 22

_I would like to dedicate this chapter to my Mr. Darcy/Edward/Jake--my husband, Mac!_

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 22: My prince has come! (Renesmee's POV)**

I couldn't believe it! My family—with the exception of Rosalie—was overjoyed at the thought of Jake and I getting married in late November just after Thanksgiving. My parents had even loosened up on the stipulations of our relationship, and I could now be with Jake anytime, anywhere. I was so utterly happy. I could hardly contain my joy. I even found myself smiling and laughing at the littlest things like brushing my hair or the warmth of the morning sun on my face. Maybe, I was just in love. It was the most exhilarating feeling in the world.

There was so much to do to pull off this wedding in time, and luckily Aunt Alice was on top of things. About a week after the night of the carnival, my mom, Aunt Alice, and my grandmother Esme ventured with me into Forks to try on wedding dresses at a local boutique. Aunt Rosalie had outright refused to tag along on our trip, which hurt me profusely. She was my favorite aunt; she along with Jake had been my caretaker from the moment I was born. I would try to make the best of it even though I knew something—or someone—was missing.

Aunt Alice had desired to special order a wedding gown designed especially for me by Vera Wang, but I vehemently protested it. I wanted something pretty and modest. Something that would make me feel like a princess without all the frills and lace. Just like my mother, I was a simple girl at heart.

"That is absolutely stunning on you, Nessie." My grandmother admired the first one I modeled, standing beside me in the mirror to properly adjust the bodice. "You look like a princess."

"And I feel like one," I thoroughly agreed. The spaghetti-strapped, white dress reminded me of one Elizabeth Bennet might have worn in _Pride and Prejudice_. The bodice was adorned with gathered fabric across the bust, and flowery details with minimal beading were wound about the a-line design underneath. The flowing chiffon skirt barely kissed the floor, and the straps made a pretty criss-cross shape in the back. I closed my eyes and could easily picture myself wearing it down the aisle to meet _my_ Mr. Darcy.

"Of course, it needs to be let out a little around the bust here." Aunt Alice now critiqued my chosen dress and tugged on the fabric under my arms to test its roominess.

"What do you mean?" I asked her as I turned around to marvel at the gown from another angle. "It feels like a perfect fit to me."

"You must have put on a little weight with those calories from that horrible food." Aunt Alice sighed. "But if _you_ think it's all right. I'll back off."

"Where is Alice Cullen and what have you done with her?" My mom adoringly patted my aunt on the back. "You weren't this nice when it was my wedding you were planning."

"I'm only being nice to Nessie because Edward said he'd disown me from the family if he heard any different." Aunt Alice grunted as she perused the boutique's assortment of veils and brought me several selections. I laughed quietly to myself. Way to go, Dad!

"Alice, I was thinking maybe just a small tiara." I deliberately tested my aunt and winked at my mom. "You know, and I could wear my hair down."

"I think that would be lovely, Nessie." My mom nodded with her reply.

"Whatever you want." Aunt Alice childishly pouted her lips, replaced the veils, and turned her attention to the display case containing the tiaras.

My grandmother, my mom, and I enjoyed a moment of shared laughter, and then I turned my eyes back to the princess in the white dress just beyond the looking glass. Everything was falling into place, and soon she would have her prince . . .

Before heading back to my grandparents' house, I begged my chaperones to drop by Jake's workplace. He had been taking up small mechanical jobs at a La Push garage for the past few months. My dad and my grandfather Carlisle gladly had offered him money, but he had respectfully declined. He was adamantly determined to earn a substantial living on his own to help support both Billy—and now his bride-to-be. It was kind of sexy to think of him all greased up in his coveralls, laboring hard to make me happy. I couldn't wait to surprise him. It had been almost a whole day since I'd seen him. When we pulled up to the mom-and-pop garage, I almost busted through the car door to greet him.

"Jake!" I didn't wait for my grandmother Esme to put the car in park. I exasperatedly bolted toward the opened garage doors, my eyes eagerly searching for my bridegroom.

"He's over in the next one!" One of Jake's fellow mechanics called to me as he heard my request and pointed toward the right. I instantly hurried over to the next opened garage, and my eyes caught the sight of someone sliding out from under an old red Volkswagen.

"Nessie!" It was Jake, and I was right—sexy indeed. He virtually leapt from the dolly and scooped me into his bear-like arms. He spun me around a couple of times and urgently kissed my lips. I could taste the beaded sweat about his lips, but I didn't mind. I was in heaven at the moment.

"Won't you guys cut it out already?" I recognized Embry's voice from behind us. "You're making me sick!"

"You're just jealous, Embry! Get back to work!" Jake said and spun me around again, never taking his beautiful eyes off my face.

"I remember when you wouldn't even go near the Cullens, Jake!" Embry taunted him and then digressed, focusing back on his carburetor.

"He's just mad because he hasn't imprinted yet." Jake jokingly assumed, placing my feet back down on the ground and tucking loose strands of hair behind my ear. Then, he jovially waved "hello" to my family members waiting in my grandfather's Mercedes. "You coming over tonight?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can get away from the mother hens." I whispered low in his ear, so that my female companions couldn't overhear.

"I'll be waiting. . ." Jake's lips kissed me longingly once more. "As much as I hate to leave you, I really need to finish up this job. But thanks for stopping by, Nes. You made my day."

"I'm glad. It made my day, too." I told Jake that I loved him with my eyes and headed back over toward the car.

As we pulled out the garage's parking lot and onto the highway, I glanced out the rear windshield only to see Jake run to the curb and watch our black Mercedes as it faded from view.

When she saw Jake's reflection in the rearview mirror, my grandmother Esme dreamily sighed from the front seat. "Ah, young love."

**Attn: Please review! Thanks!**


	23. Chapter 23

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 23: OMG! (Renesmee's POV)**

"Did you find a dress today?" Jake thoughtfully asked as we cuddled in his bed, glancing carefree up at the ceiling. It felt amazing to be lying in his arms with no worries, fears, or hesitations of who might discover us.

"Yeah. Actually, it was the first one I tried on." I flipped over on my side to look him in the eyes.

"I can't wait to see it on you, but I bet Alice was disappointed she didn't get to play dress-up Barbie longer." Jake kidded, providing my forehead with a tiny peck. "I would have paid to have been there."

"She was quite upset, but she said my dad told her it was my wedding, not hers. She practically caved to everything I suggested." I smirked as he pulled me tighter in his arms.

"Wow, go Edward! I wonder what he threatened to do to her." Jake then spread his body on top of me, distributing his weight on his elbows so that he wouldn't crush me, and pushed back my hair from my face with both hands. "Huh, you've got some blood on your neck right here, Ness."

"Oh, I hunted on the way over here. Three deer." I told him. "I just couldn't get my fill tonight. I was so hungry. I was even craving human food again!"

"Chili dogs?" Jake laughed as he licked his fingers and then wiped away the red streaks from my throat.

"How'd you guess?" I played along with his inside joke, but then I abruptly stopped laughing when something finally occurred to me.

"Is something wrong, baby?" His face peered down at me, his expression totally perplexed at my sudden quietness.

"It's just—Rosalie." I frowned, and my eyes flooded with giant tears.

"What did the beauty queen do _this_ time? Buy me a dog collar to match your wedding dress for the big day?" Jake tried to make me laugh away my tears to no avail. It only made my sobs worse. "I'm sorry, Nessie. Seriously, what happened?"

"Her and Emmett left." I could barely speak through my melancholy.

"What? Why?"

"When we got home from the shops today, she had packed up her and Emmett's stuff and said she didn't agree with me marrying you and she wasn't coming to the wedding and that they were going to stay with the Denali coven for a while." It all came out in one breath. Jake would probably be elated that Rosalie wouldn't attend our wedding, but I knew it distressed him to see me unhappy. "Alice had even seen that something was wrong with Rosalie on the way home from La Push, but she didn't have the heart to tell me the truth at the time."

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I know she means a lot to you." Jake rolled off of me and drew me into his embrace, letting my tears drench his left shoulder. "I can't believe she would do this to you."

"She's always been there for me. I know she can be a heinous shrew at times, but she is the closest friend I have besides you." I confessed to Jake, and he soothingly kissed my hair. "I was even going to ask her to be my matron of honor."

"If she knew how sad you were at her leaving, she would come back in a heartbeat." Jake knew just the right words to calm me. After all, he was my knight in shining armor. He pulled my hands from around his body and kissed both my palms. "Why don't you get some sleep and forget about all this nonsense? Blondie will come to her senses and be there by your side. I just know it."

"Thanks, Jake. Sleep sounds _so_ good right now. I'm exhausted from all the wedding stuff today—and you know." I smiled at him with my crooked grin, trying to hold back more imminent tears, and rolled over so that I could turn off the lamp on the nightstand. Jake snuggled up behind me and wrapped his left arm around my waist. He was out before I even closed my eyes . . .

The next morning before sunrise, I carefully slipped out from under Jake's arm, dressed, and kissed him "goodbye" on the forehead. He woke briefly to tell me that he loved me, and I quietly tiptoed out the house, trying not to disturb Billy from his slumbers just down the hall.

My belly achingly howled at me as I ran through the woods towards my parents' cottage. So, I decided to quench my thirst on several unassuming elk on the way home.

Mindfully opening my now-repaired bedroom window, I silently climbed into the covers of my new bed and discarded my shoes to the floor. I glanced at the alarm clock on the shelf across the room, and the digital face read two minutes passed five. Satisfied that I had a few more hours to sleep before the stress of wedding plans would resume, I rolled over to find a comfortable position.

Then, with the suddenness as the night of the carnival, I once again became nauseated. I flew into the bathroom across the hall and shut the door. As soon as the door closed behind me, I heaved all the blood I had previously ingested into the porcelain toilet. The mere force of the attack left my eyes watery and my body weak, and I collapsed to the floor. What was wrong with me? Why was I throwing up again? I hadn't eaten any more human food since my last spell. I felt my forehead, searching for the heat of a fever.

And then it hit me. I instinctively forced my hand from my head down to my waist. My grandfather Carlisle had been mistaken. Aunt Alice was right. I had put on a little weight, but it wasn't from the chili dog. I could feel a slight bulge in my lower abdomen, and as my hand lay there, a current rushed through my entire being. I wasn't suffering from some sickness that could be cured overnight. A child—Jake's child—was growing inside me. I found myself shaking nervously, and then my body began to tingle all over. I could feel myself going numb.

"Nessie? Is everything all right in there?" My dad's voice called from beyond the bathroom door.

"I'm f-fine, Dad. I—just needed to wash my face. I'm going back to bed in a few minutes." I asserted, returning my attention to the hand on my belly.

"Okay, darling. Sweet dreams." The tone of his voice told me that he wasn't totally convinced, but I heard the sound of his shoes as they carried him back down the hall. As I sat there in the stillness of the room, my dad's final words echoed in my head, lightened the mood, and instantly made me smile.

Sweet dreams indeed, I thought. I was pregnant with Jake's child. The feeling that now came over me was indescribable. If I could compare it to anything, it would be like seeing God, if that were even possible. God in the face of a child—how beautiful it would be to hold a tiny Jake in my arms . . .

But then my sweet dreams shifted into a nightmare as I remembered the details of my own birth. The haunting images that Rosalie had portrayed to me when I was at the maturity of a thirteen-year-old adolescent. I flinched at the thought of my baby possibly hurting me and eventually killing me in the process of escaping the womb. My dad probably wouldn't be able to save me—I was already a half-vampire. I couldn't lose my Jake, my family, and my newborn child—never to see the light day again.

In that incredibly life-altering moment, I knew I needed answers, and the only person I could think of who knew my plight completely—the one person I had longed to see moments after I was born seven years ago—was my mother.

**Attn: Remember Nessie has a shield like Bella and has been shielding her thoughts from Edward. Please review! **


	24. Chapter 24

_Attn: This is a heart-felt moment between mother & daughter which is long overdue! I hope you notice the little innuendos in here!_

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 24: Yes, Mom, I'm knocked up! (Renesmee's POV)**

"Mom?" I slowly cracked open the wooden door to my mom's office later that morning. I had just finished another trip to the bathroom—the third one since five am. I had waited to tell my mother until after my dad had left to get fitted for tuxedos in town with Jake and Billy. "May I come in? There's something I would like to talk to you about."

"Sure, Nessie. Just let me save this and I'm all ears." My mom called from her computer. She had been working off and on writing a novel about her and my dad's courtship for the past few years. It was called _Daylight_ or _Moonlight_ or something like that—I really couldn't remember. She was planning on giving it to my dad as a Christmas present that year. "Ok, Nessie, what's up? You're not getting cold feet are you?"

"No, Mom, I'm one hundred percent sure I'm marrying the right guy. I love Jake with all of my heart." I looked her straight in the eyes and then sat down on the small loveseat to her right.

"Good. You had me worried for a second. Alice would have had a heart attack—in so many words." My mom was now beside me on the sofa, taking her hands into mine. "Now, what would you like to talk about? Your wedding night?"

"No, um, I would like you to tell me about when you knew you were going to have me." I glanced down at our hands entwined together. My nervousness was reaching a climax and butterflies were flitting in my stomach. I hoped I wouldn't have another episode right there in front of her.

My mom smiled, inhaled deeply, and let out the unnecessary air. "Well, I was on my honeymoon with your dad. I was about to eat him out of house and home—you know, eggs. We always joke about it."

"Yes, I know." I acknowledged her, my apprehensions almost paramount.

"And I was crying at the littlest things and having these bright, colorful dreams and puking my guts out—oh, and when I told your dad I thought I was pregnant—you should have seen him. He froze up like a statue just like he did last week when he saw Jake's ring on your finger!" She giggled and put her hand over her mouth.

"Really?"

"Yes, it was quite the sight. I thought I had killed him." I couldn't help it anymore, and despite my anxieties, I keeled over in laughter with her. After a few minutes of uncontrollable amusement, my mom continued, "Anyway, you know all this already, Nessie. You've heard it about a million times! Why did you want me to tell you again?"

"Well, um, Mom, um." Why couldn't I just say it? I got all tongue-tied, and my mouth was completely dry.

"Nessie?"

"Because I think I might be . . . . pregnant." I blurted out the final word and stared down at my palms, afraid to look up at her reaction.

"_Pregnant_? How? Well, I mean I know how it happened, but I mean--" And then I thought she remembered my nausea from the other night after the carnival. "Oh."

"Yes. I've been throwing up nonstop this morning and I've been hunting like crazy—even craving human food, like at the carnival. I've been crying a lot, too." My nervousness broke through the levy, and tears flooded my eyes yet again. "And I can _feel_ it."

"Oh, Nessie." My mom seized me into her stone arms, and we held each other for a few minutes allowing time for my declaration to sink in. "You mean you felt it kick? You were nudging me just after two weeks."

"No, not yet." I forced my hand to my abdomen to make sure it wasn't all a dream. "I mean I'm starting to show though."

"May I?" My mom happily asked, and I nodded. Her cold hand gently grazed my skin, and I flinched slightly at the sensation. "Sorry, I know, my hands are freezing."

"Are you disappointed with me, Mom?" I shyly asked, ignoring the coldness on my belly.

"Nessie, you have made me a grandma. I couldn't be happier unless you were having twins! I've always wanted another child, but you know it's impossible for me. I'm just glad you can have one of your own. I've been wondering if it was possible for years now." My mom's golden eyes lit up with the notion of becoming a grandmother—the youngest-looking, most beautiful grandmother the world had ever seen. "But I am a bit worried. You know how awful my pregnancy was with you. Is the baby hurting you in any way?"

"No, I feel wonderful—except for my up-chuck reflex. And I'm just really drained of energy today." I relayed to her.

"Well, we can't take any chances with this. You were here before I knew it—in a matter of weeks—when did you and Jake first, you know?" I couldn't believe she was asking me this, but I had to tell her.

"The night he told me about the imprint." Oh, God, I could have died!

"Your dad put all those rules in place for nothing, huh?" She huffed, and I half-smiled at her derision.

"Okay, well, that was about three weeks ago, so we have to assume that's when you conceived." My mother calculated in her head. "I think the baby might be mostly human, so you could possibly have a longer pregnancy than I did, but we can't make any real assumptions right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we're going to have to move the wedding up—maybe even to next week. Alice already has everything practically done that you wanted, and the guys are getting tuxes today. We can have the wedding at your grandparents' house like I did." My mom hugged me again. "I know how important it is to you that Dad doesn't know about this. Let's wait and tell him after the wedding. I don't want you to have to spend your wedding night alone." My mom took the words right out of my mouth. Man, she knew me so well!

"Thanks, Mom." I cried onto her blue T-shirt. "It would really mean a lot to me. I just wish Rosalie was here."

"I know what you mean. I'll try to call her and let her know about the wedding." My mom released me to look at my tear-stained face. "But, Nessie, you must promise me. You have to let me know if you feel any pain at all or anything changes before the wedding. We'll go to Grandpa Carlisle and have him check you out. Your father will just have to deal with it!"

"I promise."

"Oh, by the way, have you told Jake yet?" My mom's serious face smiled.

"No, not yet." Jake! Until that moment, I hadn't really thought about it. This would shoot him over the moon!

"He's going to be ecstatic!" My mother pressed her forehead to mine, and our hands lovingly overlapped on top of the skin covering the womb, where an already much-loved baby now rested.

**Attn: Please review! Thanks!**


	25. Chapter 25

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 25: A night full of surprises! (Renesmee's POV)**

Three days passed since that morning with my mom. I had decided to wait until the moment was right to tell Jake about the baby. He had been working so hard over the past few months, and with the wedding now moved up to next week, I didn't want to stress him out even further.

I still needed to hunt like crazy to pacify my hunger, and my mom even took me out to lunch in Forks —she just sat there with a soda as a prop—to quench my desire for another chili dog. However, before it had even settled in my stomach, I cupped my hands over my mouth and flew into the diner's restroom. This was all getting just a little annoying! But it was all worth it for my little Jake.

Earlier that day, I felt pressure in my abdomen, and upon placing my hand steadily on it, I felt the baby nudge me. Numerous thoughts began racing through my head at that moment. It was all becoming real. It wasn't much long ago that I was child myself. Everything in my life had flown by in a blur. I went from infant, to child, to adolescent, to adult in only seven years. Now, I was going to be Jake's wife and a _mother_. Was I ready for all of this? Any normal person would have had a brain aneurysm, taking it all in.

And then a sudden calm came over me. Was Uncle Jasper close by? Maybe. Maybe not. But I was so overcome with joy; I collapsed into tears on the floor in my room. I remembered that I had once noted that I was the luckiest woman alive, and I now knew it was true. And I also knew I couldn't keep this from Jake very much longer.

That same night, I was lounging on the couch in my grandparents' house, assisting Aunt Alice in tying white, satin ribbons into bows that would decorate the entrance way to the house on my wedding day. Jake was working late again at the garage in La Push.

"You seem different." Alice remarked, snipping the excess ribbon with her scissors. "You _look_ different, too."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Alice." I laughed quietly to myself and returned to the task at hand. "I'm still plain ole Nessie."

"Okay, well, if you're not going tell me why you've been so jovial the past few days, I'm going to scream!" Alice screeched into my face, snatching a finished bow out my hand. "You know you're all fuzzy to me! It's driving me utterly insane!"

"You know why I'm so happy, Alice. I'm marrying Jake in a few days. I've never been happier in my life." I said, not telling the complete and honest truth. I relished in the fact that she couldn't see my future—my future as a mother. It was a secret that only my mom and I shared.

Then, suddenly, our heads both snapped up. A familiar humming was coming from down the driveway in front of the house.

"Jake!" I jumped from the couch, the contents of my lap spilling to the floor, and hurried out the front door to meet him. He was seated on his black Harley Davidson in his leather jacket, his massive body shaking with the purring of the engine.

"Hey, there, my beautiful bride! I've come to steal you away for the night. Get on!" Jake called, holding a helmet out to me. I blushed and immediately hopped on the bike behind him.

"Nessie, you can't leave now! We've got so much more to do if we're going to make it in time!" Alice was now on the steps of the front porch, her hands on her hips. "You'll have plenty of time to be together after the wedding!"

"I think you can manage on your own for a few hours!" Jake smirked at her, revving the engine loudly. I buckled the helmet straps under my chin and held on tightly to his chest. And we left Alice angrily stamping her feet on the porch.

"I've got a surprise for you, Nessie!" Jake exclaimed as we rode on his bike toward La Push. I grinned from ear to ear and thought, _I do, too, Jake_.

"You do, too, huh?" Crap! I had let my thoughts go freely to him as I grasped his body from behind. But nevertheless, he didn't press the issue further, and we continued to steadily burn the pavement toward his home.

"Here we are." Jake guided the bike into the parking lot of a newly-built apartment building and cut off the engine.

"Where are we, Jake?" I was puzzled; I thought he was taking me to Billy's house.

"Our apartment." His white teeth gleamed in the moonlight, and his eyebrows lifted.

"_Our_ apartment?" I dismounted the bike and took off my helmet. Helmet hair, great.

"Yeah, I moved in today, and after the wedding, you can move in, too. The landlady let me lease it for the next three months, you know, until we go to New Hampshire." Jake's eyes were dancing with excitement. "Dad almost cried when I told him I was moving out."

"Really?" I chuckled and filled with elation at Jake's surprise.

"Yeah." Jake turned to look at the apartment building and then back to me. "So . . . you want to see it or not?"

"Yes! Which one is it?" I cried out, starting to skip toward the apartments.

"And just where do you think you're going, Miss Cullen?" Jake cut me off and stood right in front of me. "I'm an old-fashioned kinda guy!" And with that he had scooped me into his arms, carrying me towards our new home.

"Since when?" I teased him and started to kiss his lips. His laughter vibrated against my body as he carried me to apartment 7A, across the threshold, and into the living room. I was smitten with him once again. He had set this all up for me—for us.

Once inside, Jake placed my feet down on the beige carpet and turned on the lights. "I know it doesn't look like much now, but we won't be needing it for long."

The two-bedroom apartment was pretty barren, and I could instantly smell the scent of fresh paint. The only furniture in the living room was an old, worn recliner I recognized from Billy's house and an earlier model of a flat-screen TV. The tiny kitchen was equipped with a refrigerator and stove, and I closed my eyes and imagined myself preparing dinner for him and our children. I would in fact have to get my food elsewhere. Judging from my recent discovery, we wouldn't be heading off to Dartmouth any time soon.

"I like it a lot, Jake." I told him as we walked into the larger bedroom, his hand now grasping mine.

"It's no Hilton, but we can call it home for a little while." Jake sighed, squeezing my hand gently. I noticed his huge bed in the center of the room, and a sudden urge came over me like a sweeping wave.

"What?" He searchingly glanced at my face.

"You know what." I pulled him to me with all of my strength, and I knew my surprise would have to wait a little longer . . .

* * *

"Wow, that was amazing!" Jake exhaustedly collapsed on top of me and kissed my chest. "What came over you just then? I've never seen you so _passionate_! Not even during that night in the tent."

My vampire desires had overcome me a moment ago, and I could hardly contain myself. But then again it could be the pregnancy hormones. I felt a little smug.

But I was distracted by thoughts of my earlier intentions, and my heart began to thrum like it did the night he proposed to me. I couldn't hold it in much longer, and the moment was perfect. We were in each other's arms in the bed of our soon-to-be home.

"Jake, thank you for bringing me here." I slid out from under his body drenched in sweat.

"No, thank you for that wonderful surprise!" He leaned over to show his appreciation with his lips.

"That wasn't the surprise I was talking about."

"You mean there's _more_?" Jake's hair hung down in his eyes as he anxiously awaited my next statement. "You want to forget all this wedding crap and run off to Vegas tonight?"

"That's tempting, but no." I paused. "Jake, um, well, let me show you." His eyebrows furrowed as if he was confused, and I took his right hand into mine, placing it tenderly atop my belly.

As if our baby instinctively knew the touch of his father, he vigorously kicked right at that moment.

"Whoa, what was that? Indigestion?" Jake practically leapt out the bed in reflex.

"No, silly, it's our baby." I smiled at him with my eyes.

"Our _baby_?" Jake looked even more baffled and returned his hand to my waist. The baby in turn nudged his hand again. "Wow, are you freaking kidding me? Nessie . . ."

He smiled with a brilliance more vast than the morning horizon, laying his head down on my belly. "Whoa, this is amazing! I can hear him!"

"What makes you so sure it's a boy?" I laughed at his reaction, running my fingers through his black hair.

"I don't know, but a boy—he'd be a wolf like me, right?" My mom was dead on—Jake was ecstatic. "But a girl—I hope she has your eyes."

Jake elatedly pulled me to him, and we rolled over on the bed. He began kissing me with the most vigor I had ever seen him display. Our thumping hearts beat in tune at the life-changing thought of becoming parents. He stopped after a few seconds and took my face into his palms. His beautiful eyes were blurred with tears. "This is the happiest night of my life, Nessie."

"Mine, too. I'm so glad you're happy about this." I deeply inhaled and then exhaled, gazing into his eyes.

"What did you think I would be? Mad? I've been waiting to become a dad since I was a little kid!" His smiling face turned to concerned.

"You know the whole deal with my birth. How completely horrible it was." I frowned.

"Yeah, don't remind me. I was there. Your mother almost—she died in my arms. If your dad hadn't been there-" He sat up and put his head into his hands. After a few minutes of taking in all that I said, he added, "Have you told your mother yet? What about Carlisle?"

I raised my weakened body up and kissed his back from behind. "I've told Mom. That's why we moved the wedding up."

"You haven't told Carlisle?" Jake turned and pulled me into his lap. "I'm not taking any risks with your life or the baby's. We have to tell him, so he can help us through this."

"My mom told me to wait until after the wedding to tell everyone, so that my dad won't murder you on the way down the aisle." I laughed just a little bit at how ridiculous it sounded. "But she told me if I felt any pain at all to tell her at once and we would go to my grandpa."

"And I would die before I got to see my little wolf, huh?" He gave in, clutching me securely to his bare chest. I could tell he was trying to mask his uneasiness about the pregnancy. But he seemed to relax. "Wow, I can't believe we're having a baby! This is certainly going to change a lot of things!"

"I know what you mean." I grinned up at him. "Embry's _really_ going to be jealous now!"

**Attn: This is probably my favorite chapter of this fan fic. For one, it shows Jake on a motorcycle, grrrrrrr! And two, it shows Jake's excitement of becoming a father. Another favorite is coming soon. I think you know what it may be. Thank you for reading and please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 26: It's a nice day for a ****white**** wedding! (Renesmee's POV)**

The big day had arrived! And I was completely calm. Thankfully, my morning sickness had all but disappeared, and I was now able to keep all my food down. Ironically, now, I was craving human food over blood, and blood started to taste almost repulsive to me. The scent of it was even worse. Wow, that was certainly a change!

Anyway, everything with the pregnancy seemed to be going well—meaning, I wasn't in any pain so far. My belly had grown just a little more over the past few days, but no one else seemed to notice. Also, my breasts were getting bigger, too, which didn't seem to bother Jake at all. And my mother had kept her word—no one else knew about the tiny miracle that was going to change all of our lives forever.

Shaking away those thoughts, I tried to keep my mind on what this day meant for Jake and me. We had been best friends for seven years, lovers for about a month, and now we were about to become husband and wife. Wow, what a whirlwind! But that didn't matter much to me. I could hardly contain my joy that in just a matter of minutes I would become Mrs. Jacob Black.

"Just one more pin, I think, and you'll be perfect!" Aunt Alice exclaimed, sticking about the one-hundredth bobby pin into my hair to keep my tiara firm on my head. "There. Oh, Nessie, you look dazzling! I can't wait to see Jake's reaction! He's gonna faint!"

I spun myself around and gazed into the mirror in Aunt Alice's bedroom. My wavy, reddish-brown hair cascaded over my shoulders and down my back, and my white, a-line dress pleased me just as much as it did the day I tried it on. However, it was a bit snug now, but I could bear it for a few hours. Around my neck, I wore the gold locket that my mother had given me for my first Christmas, which held the first portrait of my parents and me as a family. Jake's Quiluete promise bracelet as always was wound about my wrist--despite Alice's adamant objections.

"Nessie, you are a vision!" My grandmother Esme clapped her hands together and then brought them up to her face as if she were trying to mask her invisible sobs. Then, she gently embraced me, making sure she didn't disturb any of Alice's handiwork. "I can't believe you're all grown up! I would be blubbering all over you now if I could!"

"Thanks, Grandma." I said as Alice forcefully hiked up my skirt and shimmied a blue garter up my leg.

I turned my attention to my mother, who was standing off to the side of us, grinning as wide as her face would allow. She was utterly speechless, but her eyes confirmed she was just as happy as I was that this day had come.

"Knock, knock." I heard my dad's voice calling from behind the cracked door to my dressing room. "It's time, Nessie. May I come in?"

"Yes, Dad." And with those words, the door slowly opened, and I saw my father as handsome as ever in his fancy tux. He returned my gaze, and we shared a silent moment of mutual admiration.

"Here we go. You nervous?" My mom patted me on the back and gave me a brief hug.

"Not at all."

"Good, I'll see you later, sweetheart. Jake's seating us together, Esme. We'd better go." My mom kissed me on the cheek, and my two moms swiftly exited the room.

"I'm coming, too! You can't forget the matron of honor!" Aunt Alice ran out the room after them, smoothing out her apple-colored, taffeta dress and fluffing her spiky hair once last time. Her proclamation made me frown; Aunt Rosalie, my true matron of honor, still had not returned from Alaska, and I was about to give up all hope that she would ever come back.

"Don't worry about Rosalie. She'll come around." My dad sensed my sudden sadness. "Let's go. Jacob's down there eagerly awaiting his blushing bride."

"I can't wait to see him, Dad." My frown turned upside down, and my dad led the way out the room and to the top of the stairs.

"Are you ready, darling?" My dad properly stuck out his bent arm to lead me down the steps to my bridegroom. "You look _beautiful_."

"Thanks, Dad." I smiled up at him, tucking my arm under his.

Aunt Alice, my grandmother Esme, and my mom had done a marvelous job with the decorations. Every inch of my grandparents' living room was covered in a plethora of red roses, my favorite flowers, and dozens of white, satin ribbons.

Wagner's _Wedding March_ started to play, and I automatically searched up the aisle for the one person I was longing to see more than anyone else. And then there he was--my beloved Jacob Black in his red-accented tux, smiling at me with all the splendor of the morning sunrise. I'd never seen him look so handsome in my life, and my heart began to wildly thump at the sight of my bridegroom. My eyes lovingly fixated on his beautiful face, and he in turn gave me a flirty wink. I didn't even notice the crowd as my dad guided me down the aisle. I only had eyes for my Jake.

My dad placed Jake's hand into mine, properly giving me away and sitting down beside my mom amongst the crowd. I instantly felt the warmth of Jake's hands in mine, and he affectionately whispered into my ear, "You look incredible." He had been waiting on this moment for my entire life, and in a sense, I had, too.

We promised to take each other as husband and wife, repeating the usual vows and exchanging simple, white gold bands. My soul was almost jumping up and down with anticipation at the minister's next statement that would make it all official.

"The father of the bride would like to present his daughter with a special surprise." The minister unexpectedly proclaimed.

I quickly turned to look at my dad, and he winked at me, taking a seat at the grand piano to our right. His fingers instantly began to play, and I recognized the soft tune instantly. It was the song he had always hummed to me when I was a little girl—the lullaby that I had heard a myriad of times when he sang me to sleep. But something was different—he was now singing lyrics to the familiar tune. I stood there frozen, listening in awe to my sire's angelic voice:

_I always loved you  
I saw your face  
Gaze up at me  
My sweet child_

_You'll never know how  
You've changed me till now  
Oh, child, just know you complete me_

_And you're beautiful  
You're so beautiful  
You're my Renesmee  
My beautiful, sweet one_

_You touch my heart within  
And you know that I'll give in  
Those enchanting eyes  
They give me everything  
You are the morning sun  
My sweet one  
You're the one that I've dreamed of_

_The moment I called your name  
I knew I'd never be the same, oh, no  
You'll never know how you've changed me  
Oh, child, you're the one  
You're the one_

_Darling, oh, you're beautiful  
Oh, girl, you're so beautiful  
You're my Renesmee  
My beautiful, sweet one_

_With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow_

_With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow  
I'll let go_

As the tune came to an end, the entire crowd of our relatives erupted in applause at my dad's glorious song. I was so thankful for my dad in that moment, and I ran to him, wrapping my arms around him and wetting his shoulder with my tears.

My father had given me away to Jake, but he would always be my dad, the most important man in my life. He gave me life--something he thought was impossible. And despite all the pain I had inflicted on my mom and the mental torment he had experienced before I was born—all that virtually disappeared when he held me for the first time. He had always been my comfort, my strength. He gave me everything I ever wanted and more even though I didn't always deserve it or appreciate it. My dad loved me with an endearing love, one that would last forever. And he would always be there when I needed him; in a sense, he would never leave me. I would always hold a special place for him in my heart. Without him, my life would be nothingness--incomplete and void of all meaning.

Jake came up behind us as we embraced and placed a hand on my dad's shoulder to show him his gratitude. I could even detect a flush of tears in Jake's eyes. The two most important men in my life looked as if they had finally made a truce after all these years.

"Nessie, I think you need to be pronounced Jacob's wife. I don't think you want to miss it." My dad gently said, pulling me out of his firm hug.

"Not for the world." My eyes gleamed back up at my prince, and I took his hand in mine. We hurried back over to the minister to be formally pronounced, and the throng of onlookers giggled at our haste.

"Now, by the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Before the minister was even finished with his announcement, Jake had lifted me into his arms and kissed me ardently and lovingly. A surge of absolute happiness came over me at the warmth of his lips caressing mine. He was now mine forever.

"It is my pleasure to announce, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Black." The congregation leapt to its feet, and I kissed Jake one more time before we dashed back down the aisle hand-in-hand to our waiting reception and the rest of our lives together.

**Attn: The lyrics to Nessie's Lullaby were written to the tune of Rob Pattinson's "Never Think." The idea for writing the lullaby came from Real Life Bella--and I actually wrote it about a month before I wrote this chapter. The next chapter is entitled "A dance with my dad." Are you ready for it? Please review!  
**


	27. Chapter 27

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 27: A dance with my dad (Renesmee's POV)**

After posing for pictures with Jake and my family and signing the marriage license, it was time for the long-awaited father-daughter dance at the reception.

Jake decided to ask my grandmother Esme for a dance while my dad and I commenced our traditional dance of the night. My grandfather, Charlie, grabbed my mother by the arm and practically had to drag her out onto the floor.

"Thanks for the song, Dad. It was wonderful." I told my dad as the song began. This was the moment I had been both anticipating and dreading the past week, but I had to tell him. It was now or never. My heart began its familiar wild rhythm and it started to climb all the way to my ears.

"You're welcome." He leaned down to whisper in my ear. He knew something was up. "Are you all right? It seems like you want to say something else."

"Well, um, Mom already knows, but--" I stuttered through the words, almost wishing I could delay them for another day.

"You can tell me anything, darling." My dad's golden eyes peered into my brown ones, and I realized. This was my dad--he would love me no matter what I had done. Being in his arms was always my security, my shelter.

I took a deep breath and confessed to him, "I'm . . . pregnant."

He didn't seem shaken. He just exhaled almost in relief. "I know."

I was shocked beyond belief and replied. "What do you mean—_you know_?"

My dad just chuckled. "Your new hubby's mind's been filled with dreams of a son the past few days. I thought he was just joking—trying to get to me, but you just clarified it as truth. And your little spell a few weeks ago. That was my first clue. I was just waiting for you to tell me on your own."

"Oh." I replied. My dad had suspected I was pregnant even before I did. Maybe, that's why he had let up on the rules with Jake—he realized he couldn't keep us apart anymore. In that moment, I had never loved my father more. "And you're not disappointed?"

My dad just grinned at me. "Nessie, I've come to realize that you are a grown woman. You can make your own choices. I've always told you that. And no, I've _never_ been disappointed with you. However, you _have_ always surprised me—just like someone else I know." He glanced over at my mom in Grandpa Charlie's arms. "I can't believe your husband's still alive—to tell you the truth."

"You mean, you didn't notice his limp?" I joked along with him. My mom had only shown her support for my relationship with Jake over the past few weeks. I knew my dad was taken aback by her tolerance.

"I thought that was just his lack of dancing prowess." My dad swung me around the dance floor, holding me close and endearingly pressing his head against mine. "You know, you might have to put your college plans on hold for awhile."

"I know." I immediately frowned. "I'm just a little scared and worried about the baby. I mean, I know what you and Mom went through to have me."

The expression on my dad's face could only be described as distressed, but then he said, "Don't worry, Nessie, we'll be here for you—your family will be here. And who knows, maybe, this time it will be different. You were a very special child, and I know my grandchild will be also."

My dad melted me with his words. I knew this child would be special, too. I couldn't wait to hold him or her in my arms.

Unfortunately, the dance had ended while I dreamt of my future as a mother. My dad held me for a few seconds after the song came to a close; it was going to be hard for him to let me go.

"Hey, old man, may I cut in?" Jake was there, ready to have our first dance as a married couple.

"She's all yours." My dad and Jake shook hands briefly and hugged. Wow, I hoped someone got a picture of that! "Take good care of my girl, Jacob."

Jake smiled at my dad and then at me, and my dad gave me a lingering kiss on my left cheek.

_Dad, you'll always be number one in my life. I am so happy. Thank you so much for everything. I love you, daddy._ My thoughts went to him, and he smiled, knowing that this was the best gift he had ever given me.

Then, Jake swept me into his embrace and glided me across the dance floor to our song, but I never forgot the man who gave me life, standing just a few yards away.

**Attn: In case you are curious, I picked "My Girl" by the Temptations for Edward & Nessie's dance and "When You Love a Woman" by Journey for Nessie & Jake's dance. Please review! Edward's POV of the wedding is next.**


	28. Chapter 28

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 28: Big Day (Edward's POV)**

"Are you ready, darling?" I asked and offered you my arm as we proceeded down the tall staircase. "You look _beautiful_."

"Thanks, Dad." You beamed at me with your glorious smile, and I melted instantly.

Taking each step at a time, I slowly led you down the staircase to the arm of your future husband to the tune of Wagner's _Wedding March_. The scent of roses, your favorite flowers, permeated the entire living room, and the whole makeshift sanctuary was covered in red blossoms and white, satin ribbons. You had a hand in the decision-making this time; every fiber of the room echoed your incessant charm.

One month had passed since you came of age—so to speak. After the wedding and subsequent honeymoon, you were still heading off to Dartmouth as planned, except now you would be taking along someone different—your soon-to-be husband. Your mother's face was glowing with pride. We all were.

As we passed your aunt Alice, who had been chosen as your matron of honor in Rosalie's stead, I noticed that she was smiling, possibly because she had pulled off this lovely wedding in only a matter of weeks. However, her thoughts confirmed that she was just as happy as we all were that you had made your choice.

I placed your hand on the arm of your soon-to-be husband, and he jovially smiled at me with gratitude.

_Thank you, Edward._ He solidified it with his thoughts, taking your right hand into his.

I took my rightful place and joined your mother among the congregation.

After you vowed to love your bridegroom for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and exchanged rings, it was my turn to give my wedding present to you.

"The father of the bride would like to present his daughter with a special surprise," the officiator gladly announced to the crowd.

I shot you a quick wink and then strolled over to the grand piano draped in crimson flowers. I sat down on the bench and began to perform your lullaby, the song I had hummed to you many a night when you had awakened from horrible, bad dreams. Except this time, I had added lyrics, written especially for this day:

_I always loved you  
I saw your face  
Gaze up at me  
My sweet child_

_You'll never know how  
You've changed me till now  
Oh, child, just know you complete me_

_And you're beautiful  
You're so beautiful  
You're my Renesmee  
My beautiful, sweet one_

_You touch my heart within  
And you know that I'll give in  
Those enchanting eyes  
They give me everything  
You are the morning sun  
My sweet one  
You're the one that I've dreamed of_

_The moment I called your name  
I knew I'd never be the same, oh, no  
You'll never know how you've changed me  
Oh, child, you're the one  
You're the one_

_Darling, oh, you're beautiful  
Oh, girl, you're so beautiful  
You're my Renesmee  
My beautiful, sweet one_

_With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow_

_With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow  
I'll let go  
With every day you grow  
I'll let go_

On the final note, you ran straight to me, tears spilling out of your brown eyes. We embraced, and then I felt a firm grasp on my shoulder. I quickly turned to behold your new husband, his eyes soaring with happiness . . .

No more than fifteen minutes later, you were in my arms again as we partook in the traditional father-daughter dance. Your new beau was twirling Esme across the dance floor, and her thoughts were nothing but pure joy that he had chosen her for the first dance of the evening.

It was an unseasonably warm evening, and you never looked more breathtaking, your hair glistening in the soft twilight. I tried to wrap my head around that fact that I had just given you away—you were my lovely Nessie, my daughter, my own flesh. A little more than seven years ago, I was dancing in this very spot with your mother in my arms.

You lifted up on your toes and whispered in my ear. "Thanks for the song, Dad. It was wonderful."

"You're welcome," I softly replied and noted that your voice nervously wavered a bit. "Are you all right? It seems like you want to say something else."

"Well, um, Mom already knows, but--" You paused, almost hesitantly.

"You can tell me anything, darling." I was used to your shield by now, but I had an idea of what you might say.

"I'm . . . pregnant." The words stammered from your lips.

I sighed and glanced over at your husband, and he flashed me the widest grin as if he was aware of our conversation. "I know."

You pulled away slightly. "What do you mean—_you know_?"

I laughed. "Your new hubby's mind's been filled with dreams of a son the past few days. I thought he was just joking—trying to get to me, but you just clarified it as truth. And your little spell a few weeks ago. That was my first clue. I was just waiting for you to tell me on your own."

"Oh." You shyly peered up at me. "And you're not disappointed?"

I genuinely was not disappointed. "Nessie, I've come to realize that you are a grown woman. You can make your own choices. I've always told you that. And no, I've _never_ been disappointed with you. However, you _have_ always surprised me—just like someone else I know." I gestured my head toward your mother, who was sharing a dance with your Grandfather Charlie beside us. "I can't believe your husband's still alive—to tell you the truth."

"You mean, you didn't notice his limp?" You were obviously joking and smiled at me with those chocolate-brown eyes.

"I thought that was just his lack of dancing prowess." I pulled you back to me, closing my eyes. My beautiful daughter was about to become a mother. It seemed like only yesterday—I was holding your tiny body in my arms, marveling at the thought of becoming a parent myself. On one hand, I was happy for you, and on the other, I was concerned about the baby and what the future might hold for him.

Then, something else occurred to me, "You know, you might have to put your college plans on hold for awhile."

"I know." You agreed, your smile dropping into a frown. "I'm just a little scared and worried about the baby. I mean, I know what you and Mom went through to have me."

Your statement hit me like a thousand daggers penetrating my heart, but I kept my composure. I didn't want you to go through what your mother had endured. I loudly gulped. "Don't worry, Nessie, we'll be here for you—your family will be here. And who knows, maybe, this time it will be different. You were a very special child, and I know my grandchild will be also."

Your smile immediately returned, and the look in your tear-stained eyes graciously removed the daggers from my heart.

The song abruptly ended, and I knew that was my cue to quickly exit the floor and give the newly-wedded couple their first dance—though I didn't want the moment with you to end.

"Hey, old man, may I cut in?" I felt a firm tap on my back. He was there to readily take you into his arms.

"She's all yours." I willingly shook his hand and then hugged him for the first time. "Take good care of my girl, Jacob."

_You know I will._ Jacob returned my affection. It was a long-awaited, unspoken truce.

Releasing Jacob, I tenderly kissed you on the cheek, and you smiled up at me once more. In an instant, I knew you were truly content. Thankfully, you lowered your shield for me in that moment. It was your gift to me.

Then, I let you go into the arms of your chosen beau . . . but you would remain always and forever . . . my beautiful, my sweet one . . .

My Renesmee.

**Attn: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews on Chapter 27. I decided to post this chapter earlier because of your kind, heartwarming words. This story is far from over, and it will not be the last time you hear from Edward. :D**


	29. Chapter 29

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 29: Let's celebrate! (Renesmee's POV)**

"When Jake asked me to be his best man, I gladly accepted it." Billy Black began his speech from his wheelchair, steadily holding up his glass of champagne. "But I forgot that as part of my duties as best man I had to give this wretched little toast."

Jake and I laughed along with our family and friends as Billy continued. "However, I hope it's not going to bore you to tears." He shrugged. "Anyway, Nessie's grandpa, Charlie Swan, had been a good friend of mine for years, and the instant I met his daughter, Bella, I thought she would be a perfect match for my Jacob. Charlie and I tried to 'hook them up' as the kids say nowadays." He formed little quotation marks with his hands for emphasis. "However, she had a strong attraction to this Edward fellow."

A few chuckles complemented Billy's toast, and I stole a glance at my dad, and he did something I would have never expected him to do—he bowed. It made me smile.

"And when Bella and Edward married, I can't say I was thrilled, but then they gave birth to the most special child I had ever known." I laughed and looked down at my feet, embarrassed, but Jake caught my chin with his forefinger and lifted it back up. He sweetly crinkled his nose at me, and I held my head back up high at the numerous pairs of on-looking eyes.

"This one special child grew into a beautiful young woman, quite quickly I must say, and won my son's heart. So, to get to my point, I wanted nothing more than for Charlie and Bella to be a part of my family—and now eight or so years later, they finally are. To Edward, Bella, and the rest of the Cullens, welcome to the family. This day was a long time coming. And to Nessie, I now have _three_ daughters. To Jacob and Nessie!" Billy raised his glass, and everyone else followed. Of course, my vampire family and guests only pretended to sip their champagne.

I then began to ponder what Billy had just said. Billy was right—my birth and Jake's imprint had caused our two families to unite. Now, seven years after my birth with our marriage, our two families were truly one in the same. And with the baby . . .

"Thanks, Dad." Jake embraced his dad, and Billy firmly patted him on the back.

"Yeah, thanks, Billy. That was a great toast." I told my new father-in-law, giving him a hug as well.

"I meant every word." Billy's attention was diverted, and he shook hands with my dad and both of my grandfathers.

"Time to cut the cake!" Aunt Alice breezed from out of nowhere beside us and pushed us over to the cake table.

After carefully cutting the cake together hand over hand, Jake tenderly placed a piece on my tongue, but I chucked his slice forcefully up into his unsuspecting nose. For a second there, I thought he might retaliate and throw the entire cake at me, but he only pulled me into his arms and forced his lips--along with the icing--onto mine.

"Hey, now, don't I get to hug my favorite niece on her wedding day?" Emmett! He had appeared just as mysteriously as Alice had. I almost toppled his body to the ground as I embraced him. This was such a wonderful surprise!

"I'm your _only_ niece, Emmett, but I'm glad you came!" I was happy to see him even though he had annoyed me to death for most of my life.

"You look gorgeous!" Emmett released me from his bear hug and frowned, busily wiping away the white icing from my chin. "Sorry Rose isn't here. I couldn't convince her to come."

"But he did bring a couple of friends!" Kate put her hand on my shoulder from behind, and I threw my arms around her. Beside her stood Tanya, Garrett, Eleazar, and Carmen—all from the Denali coven. I hadn't seen them in so long. "I'm just glad none of our Italian friends decided to crash the party!"

"That would be most inconvenient." Eleazar smirked at me as I hugged him and the rest of my Alaskan friends. "You sure grew up fast, Nessie."

"I hate to break up your little reunion here—and I'm still not talking to you, Emmett—but it's time for Jake to throw the garter!" Aunt Alice rudely interjected, violently shoving me back toward Jake. I caught a glimpse of Emmett angrily maneuvering his hands as if he were choking someone as Alice tossed me into a chair.

Exaggeratedly, Jake removed the garter from my leg (he enjoyed it just a little bit too much) and chucked it into the small crowd of single men. The garter fatefully landed in Billy's eager grasp.

"Hey, looks like I might get lucky after all these years!" Billy happily twirled it around his fingers and then pouted when Alice snatched it back. "Hey!"

She then pushed my bouquet of red roses back into my hands and called for all the single ladies to assemble behind me. I lazily threw the bouquet and turned only to see Leah Clearwater, my aunt for all intents and purposes, hastily leap up and catch it in midair. She shook it slightly and smiled back at me. Leah and I hadn't been the best of friends, but maybe she was warming to me. Jake was her alpha after all.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Black?" Jake grabbed me by the waist from behind and pressed his warm body close to me. "I think Alice wants us to get out of here, so she can get ready for Leah's wedding."

"As if Leah would let her! Yes, let's go, Mr. Black!" I grabbed his hand in mine, and we sped off toward his waiting motorcycle out front.

"Wait!" Aunt Alice exasperatedly called as she caught a fleeting glance of us fly passed her. "I haven't even handed out the bubbles yet!"

As we neared the Harley, now decorated with streamers and a "Just Married" sign plastered to the back, I noticed my mom and dad now standing in the driveway.

"Mom! Dad!" I embraced my mom one last time as Jake mounted his bike still in his tux.

"Have a great time, sweetheart. We love you." She softly spoke into my hair and handed me off to my dad.

He didn't speak, but instead lifted me onto the motorcycle behind Jake, careful enough not to rip or soil my dress, and helped me fasten the helmet onto my head. My dad kissed me swiftly on the cheek as Jake started the engine. I gathered my skirt into my hands, so that it wouldn't get caught on the bike, and we left my dad there standing in the driveway. Briefly, I looked back and waved to let him know that I wouldn't be gone forever.

**Attn: Jake & Nessie have their wedding night next. Please review! Thanks.**


	30. Chapter 30

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 30: Roses, bubbles, & pizza (Renesmee's POV)**

Later that evening, Jake and I now lay in our apartment's bathtub after making love as husband and wife for the first time. This time was so much more special—so sweet, so gentle, so beautiful. It was like the first time at Billy's house when I finally realized my unconditional, irrevocable love for him. It was pure ecstasy.

Just before the wedding, Jake asked his sisters, Rebecca and Rachel, to scatter crimson rose petals all the way from the front door of the apartment to the bedroom. Earlier that same day, Uncle Jasper, my dad, my grandpa Charlie, and Billy moved all of my stuff from my parents' cottage into the second bedroom before an impromptu all-male, wedding-day baseball game with some of Jake's friends. Little did they know in just a few weeks that room would be needed for another purpose—for the little bundle of joy on the way.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Jake's voice resonated off the tiled walls.

"About our baby." I confessed, drawing his fingers enlaced with mine up to my lips. I kissed them tenderly. I had to laugh at the fact that Jake had to lay on his side and bend his knees in order to spoon up behind me in the tub. But he didn't mind it. Tonight was our night.

"Are you in any pain at all?" Jake sweetly kissed my neck in turn.

"No, I feel perfect right now." I deeply inhaled the overpowering scent of freesia emanating from the bubbles around us. "My ankles feel a little swollen, but I'm not sure if it's from being pregnant or from those torturous shoes Alice made me wear today."

"Do you need me to rub them or something?" Jake began to stir the water and maneuver his way to my feet.

"No, that's okay. I'm enjoying this moment right now with you. I can't believe we're married." I held out my arm to fondly view my promise ring and my wedding band now residing together on my finger.

"I know what you mean. We've only been together romantically for four or so weeks, but it feels like an eternity. I guess it's because I've known you all your life. You sure there's nothing I can do for you, Nes?"

"I'm sure. How was your bachelor party last night?" I suddenly became curious about his last hoorah as a single guy.

"Quil, Embry, Seth, and Jared made me jump off a cliff in the buff!" His laughter vibrated against my back, stirring the waters around us. "I think they even took pictures!"

"Blackmail?" I retorted, picturing the scene vividly in my head. I wished I could have been there.

"It's not like half of La Push hasn't seen me naked already!" Jake's repartee made me bust out in laughter as well.

"Oh, by the way, we have an appointment with my grandpa tomorrow to get the baby checked out." I finally manage to say. Unfortunately, we had to put off our honeymoon plans until after the baby was born. I couldn't wait to see if my grandfather could give us some answers regarding the progression of my pregnancy and when I might possibly meet my little one. I was also uneasy about the whole birthing process. It literally was beginning to frighten me to death.

"You told them already?" Jake asked, seeming addled.

"No, my mom and I agreed that she would tell my family—our family—once our guests left the reception. I'm sure Grandpa will take time out from his schedule to give me an examination."

"And Edward—he still doesn't know?" Jake's voice appeared alarmed.

"Well, he's actually known all along." I laughed. How did we ever think we could keep anything from him?

"What? Bella told him?" Jake seemed even more confused.

"No, I told him during our father-daughter dance. But he said he'd already read it in your thoughts." My mouth formed a wide grin, and I shut my eyes, relishing in my utter contentment. My dad had surprised me with his discretion. He knew Jake was all that I ever wanted and that we were about to have our own family together. He only wanted me to be happy.

"Oops! Sorry about that!" Jake planted a soft kiss on my neck once more. "Wow, I'm shocked he didn't come after me with a baseball bat today or pull the knife on me while we were cutting the cake!"

"You are the king of wisecracks, Mr. Black. Have I ever told you that?"

"I tell myself that every day actually, Mrs. Black." I thrilled at the sound of my new name. I would never grow tired of hearing it. He pivoted my head, so that he could kiss me on the lips. I could feel the warmth from the bathwater and the heat from his body soothe my entire being. It was exhilarating.

After a long pause to our conversation, I broke the silence. "My dad said you've been dreaming of a boy. Is that true?"

"Well, yes. What man doesn't want a son—plus I'm hoping we'll have the wolf thing in common. I'd have a new member to add to the pack!" Jake's absolute excitement overwhelmed me. I knew this was truly meant to be—us together as a family. Forever.

"Wow, I never really thought about it—our baby will be part human, part vampire, and part wolf." I could barely wrap my head around the notion. Grandpa Carlisle certainly had his work cut out for him on this one. "That's some crazy genetics!"

"Yeah, I know, but as long as he doesn't come out all covered in fur—I'll be happy!" Jake exclaimed. Our mutual giggles were marked with both jest and somewhat nervousness. We really couldn't assume anything. "Anyway, they broke the mold when they made you!" He eased his body closer to mine with his burly arms.

"Thanks, Jake." I would have blushed, but my cheeks were already as red as roses from the steam permeating the room.

"Sure, sure." Jake lightly placed his hands atop my belly, one on top of the other. "Have you thought of any names for the baby yet?"

Only the two most beautiful male names in the English language. "Hmm . . . I was thinking Edward Jacob for a boy."

"Hey, that's what Bella wanted to name you when she though you were a boy—and I'm _so_ glad you weren't!" Jake rubbed my belly gently. "She wanted to call you 'EJ' for short."

"EJ . . . I love it!" Yes, that was a perfect nickname for our little boy. "And I was thinking Sarah Rose for a girl after your mom and Rosalie."

"That's pretty. My mom would have liked that." Jake tickled the base of my neck with his nose. "I'm sorry Blondie didn't show today, but at least her better half did. I bet the second she hears you're pregnant—she'll be here like that." He snapped his fingers as he spoke the last word.

"I sure hope so. I miss her so much. It's like a piece of me is gone." I became a little saddened at the mention of my estranged aunt's name. "I thought for sure she would show today at the last minute."

"I could shoot her for doing this to you, but the bullet would probably bounce off her chest and fly right into my brain!" Did I ever mention that Jake had a knack for always making me laugh?

"She's not Supergirl, you know, Jake." I snickered.

"Yeah, but _she_ thinks she is." Jake carefully lifted me and turned my body, so that we were facing each other. I swore my belly grew several inches throughout the course of the day. Soon, I would be huge!

Jake ran his long fingers through my soaked tresses several times, gazing deeply and longingly into my eyes. Did I ever mention how beautiful Jake was? I could hardly believe he was mine. He pulled my lips to his, and my entire being became a livewire. He slowly moved his large fingers down to my breasts and then to my hips, and I shivered slightly at his touch. Tenderly, he placed his left hand between my legs and slipped his middle finger inside me. I climaxed almost immediately—my mouth barely able to gasp for air. My eyes rolled back into my head. It was the most erotic thing he had ever done.

"Should we move this to the bedroom?" Jake desirously whispered into my ear, sending a chill all over my body. His breathing was just as uneven as mine.

But the obnoxiously loud howls from my hollow stomach interrupted our state of rapture.

"Jake?" I was almost lightheaded, but managed to ask him.

"Yes, Mrs. Black?" He lustfully glided his tongue just under my ear. I was ultimately and hopelessly torn between my hunger for food and my hunger for him.

"Would you mind ordering me a pizza? I've never had one, but I've heard they're delicious." A flash of disappointment crossed his face when I questioned him. He sighed.

"Sure, sure. Anything for my girl and my little wolfling." Jake kissed my forehead and then leaned down to kiss my belly. He emptied the tub, violently splashing the water along with some of the bubbles onto the tiled floor.

"You're so sure it's a boy, aren't you?" I sat up, grasping the sides of the tub to steady my dazed body.

"I know he's a boy, Nes." He smirked at me, securing an oversized towel around his waist and heading toward the door. "I just know he is."

**Attn: Jake. Wet. Oh, dear . . . anyway, please review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 31: Tests, tests, and more tests (Renesmee's POV)**

"Nessie!" My grandmother Esme zoomed from the big, white house—arms wide open--as Jake and I pulled up on his motorcycle the next morning. Before I could even get my helmet off, her arms were about my shoulders. "Your mom told us the big news!"

"I know. Is Grandpa ready to see me today?" I inquired, anxiously wanting to get my foremost questions answered. Jake aided me in dismounting the bike and clutched my right hand.

"Of course, Nessie. We're all so excited about this! We haven't had a baby in the house in so long!" My grandmother elbowed me as the three of us strolled up the front steps to the house. It really hadn't been that long ago, but I knew she would be merrily pleased at my news. She had always been a second mother to me.

"Nessie!" Aunt Alice darted down the stairs when we entered the living room. She promptly drew me into her embrace. Man, I loved this woman! She smelled incredible. Better than she ever had before. "I knew something was up with you! I kept seeing your dad holding a child, but I couldn't see its face. I thought my power was all screwed up and I had started seeing the past!"

"I couldn't believe my niece was getting married—let alone becoming a mother! This is wonderful, Nessie." Uncle Jasper was right behind her, and he generously hugged me also.

"Thanks, Jasper." My heart soared with my family's kind words. They made me feel so special and accepted. "Is Rose here?"

Alice and Jasper briefly glanced at each other and then shook their heads in unison. My wide smile began to fade.

"Is that my granddaughter in there?" Grandpa Carlisle made his entrance, dressed in his proper doctor attire, complete with stethoscope. He picked me up in his arms like he used to when I was a little girl, hugged me, and returned my feet to the carpet. "Did I hear something about a baby on the way? I can't believe I didn't realize it when you had your little spell a few weeks ago."

"Carlisle, Nessie and I would like to ask you a couple of questions if you wouldn't mind." Jake sauntered up behind me and draped his left arm across my shoulders.

"Of course, Jacob. I have some of my own actually." Grandpa Carlisle happily chortled. "Let's go upstairs to my exam room. Alice, Jasper, Esme, would you mind if we did this alone?"

"Certainly, Carlisle." My grandmother responded, but I could tell she wanted nothing more than to be there while my grandfather examined me.

Leading the way up the stairs and down the hallway, Grandpa Carlisle appeared to be just as excited and nervous as we were. As we entered the examination room, I noticed my mom and dad were sitting together on the hospital bed in the center of the room, holding each others' hands.

"Nessie!" My mom energetically vaulted from the bed and enveloped me in her arms. Goodness, I had only been away for one night! Did she really miss me that much?

"Hey, Mom." My attention was now diverted to my sire across the room as she held me. He smiled at me with his crooked grin, and I broke free from my mother's grasp and flew over to his side. We stood there just looking at each other for what seemed like minutes; then, he fervently drew me into his arms and sighed. His body felt cold against mine, but the warmth of his love passed intently from his heart to mine. I wept uncontrollably onto his shoulder. This was going to be the one of the most nerve-racking experiences of my life, and I knew he wished he could take my place.

"Edward, Nessie . . . let's take a look shall we." My grandfather kindly interrupted our father-daughter moment. My dad let me go and hopped down from the bed, and I quickly rubbed the wetness from around my eyes. Helping me up onto the bed, my dad gave me a fleeting kiss on the forehead.

My grandpa Carlisle pulled up my T-shirt to expose my belly, now applying gel to my lower abdomen, so that he could attempt to take an ultrasound. He fumbled around with the transducer for several minutes, but then finally gave up. "Well, I can't get anything to show up. I guess the tissue is too thick, just like with you, Nessie."

My parents left the room while my grandpa performed several more examinations just to make sure everything was progressing as it should. Jake flinched at just the mere thought of the tests. I could tell he didn't like the fact that someone was poking and prodding at my body even if it was a doctor. Also, my grandfather asked me about a million questions in order to properly make his assessment. Some of them quite mortifying—to say the least.

"Ok, Nessie, I think that will do it." Grandpa Carlisle repositioned his stethoscope around his neck and opened the exam room's door. "Bella? Edward? You may come back in now. Will you tell the others they can--" But Esme, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were already poking their heads into the room, ready for my grandpa's assumptions about the baby.

"Tell us, Carlisle. Is the baby all right?" My mom was as curious as we all were. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"From what I can gather, Nessie," My grandfather spun around to face me. "You are about at the twenty-eight to thirty week mark of normal human pregnancy. From what you have told me, you probably conceived about four and a half weeks ago. Your pregnancy is progressing at a slightly slower rate than your mother's did, which is probably due to the fact that the baby is predominantly human right now. I can't get a good picture on the ultrasound, which could mean that the baby is like you were—part vampire as well. We won't know for certain until he or she is born though."

My grandfather paused briefly, allowing time for his comments to register. Then, he continued, "I think you may give birth in about two more weeks if I'm correct. Believe me, I'm quite dumbfounded. The baby isn't sucking the life out of you—so to speak--like you did with your mother. It seems to be getting exactly what it wants—blood at first and now human food. That's one reason why I think the pregnancy is going so well this time. You are giving the baby what it craves. I also think that since you are half-vampire, the discomfort of pregnancy is somewhat lessened."

"So, everything is okay?" Jake asked him bluntly.

"Yes, Jacob, Nessie and the baby are going to be fine. The delivery could possibly pose a challenge, but I think I can speak with all certainty that in about two more weeks, we'll be welcoming a new member of the family!" Everyone cheered when my grandpa Carlisle made that final statement. My father sighed in relief; he looked as if a hundred pound weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Jake's tensed shoulders relaxed as well, and he cupped his hands around my face and smiled to show me that his faith had been restored.

Our family then shared hugs and mutual congratulations for a few minutes. And suddenly, my grandmother Esme enthusiastically suggested, "Nessie, why don't you and Jake move in here just until the baby is born, so that we can help take care of you these next couple of weeks?"

"That's a great idea!" My mom exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"I would like that." I yielded to their offer. Jake grasped my hands with his right hand, confirming his approval.

"And Esme and I can make a nursery for you in the spare bedroom!" Aunt Alice shrieked at the top of her lungs. "I can already picture it! Of course, I would know."

"Can you tell whether it's a boy or a girl, Alice?" Jake abruptly challenged my aunt.

"I can see Edward holding the baby, but I can't see the baby's face, like that would help anyway. It's just like Nessie all over again. I can't see this little third-breed either!" She frowned, and everyone joyfully tittered at Alice's assertion.

"I'm glad we don't know, Alice." I confessed. My statement was basically the only words I had provided to the conversation. "I would rather be surprised."

"So would I." My dad purposefully smiled at me in agreement. I lovingly winked at him to show him my appreciation, and he laughed. Was he getting a little excited about becoming a grandfather? I thought so.

"Wow, another little one to play catch and hunt grizzlies with! This is awesome!" Emmett boastfully proclaimed. Then, he sat down beside me on the bed and playfully nudged me with his left elbow. "See, I knew you were gettin' some!"

**Attn: Don't you just love Emmett? Please review.**


	32. Chapter 32

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 32: Close encounters of the half-kind (Renesmee's POV)**

By sunset that same day, Jake and I had all but moved in to my grandparents' house. My former bedroom became our sanctuary overnight, and Jake barely could squeeze his oversized form into the bed beside me. Just as in the bathtub, he had to bend his knees and lay on his side, and then, another issue posed a possible problem. Jake and my ever-growing, enormous belly faithfully competed for space on the bed as well.

It was impossible for me to get to sleep that night. I unsuccessfully struggled to find a comfortable position and eventually had to place my pillow in between my legs. My little nudger seemed to be playing soccer in my belly all night as well, sparing me no mercy and malevolently poking me in the gut over and over again. I don't know exactly when I finally drifted off to sleep that night, but before I knew it, the morning sunlight was streaking its rays through the window and into my eyes. Blinking and holding my hand up to shield my eyes, I rolled over on my back only to behold a familiar face.

"Hey, you're awake." Jake whispered, peering affectionately down at my visage.

"Jake, what time is it?" I ran my left hand up my face and through my hair to scratch my head and instinctively wrapped the other around my belly.

"A little passed eight. You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake you." He kissed my forehead and placed his left hand atop mine at my waist.

"I actually fell asleep?" I was surprised that I had fallen asleep at all. I just couldn't concentrate with the all-night soccer match going on inside me.

"Yeah, you were snoring so loudly, you woke me up." Jake chuckled, laying his head beside mine on the bed.

"I was not." I slapped him on the arm.

"Yes, you were, Nessie. You snored the night before, too. I thought a freight train was heading right for the bedroom." He smiled, kissing me on the cheek, and they burned in turn with a brief rush of humiliation.

"Sorry, I woke you." I tried to wheel my body over, so that I could face him, but then decided to stay on my back. "I think we may have a future Beckham in the oven."

"What do you mean?" Jake laughed, still holding my hand on my belly.

"He kept kicking me all night." I confessed, closing my eyes. I wished more than anything that I could fall asleep again.

"Is he kicking now?" Jake raised his massive body up on the bed, placing both hands on my stomach. The baby had stopped moving sometime during the night, but the instant Jake's hands touched the skin of my stomach, he went into overtime. Jake's beautiful eyes lit up. "Ah, there's my little kicker."

I joyfully giggled at Jake's statement despite the intense pressure in my lower belly.

"I wonder if he can hear us right now." Jake tested his theory, laying his head down on top my belly. "Hey, little baby, I'm your dad. I can't wait to meet you. I already love you so—_oh, my God_!" Jake suddenly raised his head, and his eyes focused on me in alarm.

"What?" My heart started to pump violently at Jake's exclamation. I placed both my palms down on the bed and angled my body up from the bed slightly.

"I can hear his thoughts." Jake's eyes were wide in astonishment, and then he replaced his head on my stomach. "I think he just told me that he loves me, too. This is just too weird."

"Huh?" My dad was the only mind reader I knew. I thought Jake was kidding with me. And then I remembered. When Jake and the other pack members were in wolf form, they could read each others' thoughts.

"He's part vampire, right?" Jake questioned me; he was pondering the very same notion.

"Yeah, maybe that's his vampire power. He can send you his thoughts." I was in awe. These kinds of things were just unreal, but they were our reality.

"Can you hear his thoughts, Nessie?" He asked, and I disappointedly responded, "No. It must only work on you."

"This is awesome! I can't wait to see what else he can do." Jake carefully climbed over my body, kissing me sweetly on the lips. His excitement emanated from every fiber of his being. Once again, a rushing current swept through me, and I felt the hungry urge to finish where we had left off on our wedding night. His increasing fervor was telling me that he desired the same.

"Nessie? Jake?" A resounding knock pounded the bedroom door.

"Damn." Jake broke free from my lips, firmly gritting his teeth. We had been interrupted once again.

"We would like to show you something." I now recognized Aunt Alice's musical voice, calling from behind the wooden door.

"Let's hold that thought for later." Jake kissed me once more longingly. For a second there, I thought he might have forgotten that Alice was waiting at the door, but then his lips finally parted from mine.

"Nessie?" Aunt Alice persisted.

"We're coming, Alice. Hold on a minute." I sat up and waddled out the bed in my pajamas with Jake right in tow. He was wearing nothing but his boxers, but hurriedly threw on some athletic shorts and a sleeveless, gray tank to look presentable in front of my aunt.

I opened the door, and Alice's face popped right into mine. "It's ready!"

"What's ready?" I yawned into my hand.

"The nursery." She beamed at me, obviously proud of herself. I turned my head to glance at Jake's reaction, and he pulled me into his arms from behind and kissed my neck.

We didn't speak as Aunt Alice led the way down the hall to the once spare bedroom. Jake and I just giggled like two children on Christmas morning anxiously tiptoeing downstairs to open shiny, new presents.

As we turned the corner, I now noticed my grandmother Esme, my grandpa Carlisle, my mom, my dad, Jasper, and Emmett, all standing in a single file line outside the room.

"I hope you like it. We've been working on it all night." My mom's smile gleamed with anticipation.

As Jake and I entered the room palm in palm, I saw nothing but trees—a mural of a forest covered the four walls in my grandmother's apparent signature. Stuffed animals by the hundreds were specifically positioned throughout the room. I noticed stuffed wolves, bears, squirrels, deer—they were just too numerous to count. Under the window, a large, wooden crib rested, complete with coordinating sheets and a mobile of swinging, woodland creatures. A mahogany rocking chair was angled to the right of the bed, and a matching changing table was placed behind it. I also noticed a new baby grand piano to the left of the crib, and I instantly knew whose idea placed it there.

"Wow." It was the only word I could manage to utter. Jake released my palm and pulled me to him with both arms.

"We don't know if it's a boy or a girl, so we thought we'd do a woodsy theme. Of course, we knew Jake would love the wolves. And we plan on duplicating it in your apartment." My grandmother Esme patted Jake lightly on the back.

This was probably the best gift my family had ever bestowed upon me. I couldn't believe they had worked all night to get this ready. There are just no words to describe how I felt in that moment . . .

Later that day, Jake left to begin his shift at the La Push garage, and my female family members and I decided to go into Forks to pick up some supplies my grandfather Carlisle suggested we have on hand—diapers, bottles, baby formula, etc. No trip to town would be complete without satiating Aunt Alice's clothes-shopping addiction, and she bought me several maternity outfits to wear for the next two weeks or so. Sadly, I had outgrown my regular clothes. I would miss my jeans. And with my incessantly growing appetite for human food, our family made our first trip to the grocery store in ages to acquire the necessities for curbing my cravings.

When we arrived home, I could sense something was odd as we ascended the steps to my grandparents' house. Then, I could smell it--the unmistakable mixture of cedarwood and musk. Just as I took in his overpowering scent, Nahuel appeared from amongst the woods, causing my female companions to drop their parcels and crouch down to form a defensive barrier in front of me.

"Get away from here, Nahuel! You know what Edward said!" My mom hissed at him with all her fury. Alice and Esme looked as if they were about to pounce on him as well.

"I mean no harm. I would just like to apologize to Renesmee." Nahuel held up his hands in surrender and turned his gaze to mine.

"It's okay, Mom. Will you let us talk in private?" I assured her and shot Nahuel a glare. "I have some things I would like to say as well." My anger was starting to boil up inside of me. I hoped I would have the strength to resist tearing him apart limb by limb.

My grandmother, my mom, and Aunt Alice reluctantly retrieved their shopping bags from the ground and headed back up the stairs into the house. However, I knew their ever-watchful eyes and ears were monitoring our every move.

"Renesmee," Nahuel began, sauntering up to properly face me. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you a few weeks ago. My behavior was unacceptable. I was just hurt from your rejection. And when you told me that you had chosen Jacob, I just lost it. I selfishly wanted you for myself and didn't care what you thought. I'm so sorry."

There was so much I wanted to say to him right at that moment. I wanted to tell him how much I despised his very existence, how I wished I had never kissed him, how deeply he hurt me biting into my neck and confessing that I wouldn't be his first trip around the block. But the words wouldn't come. He was genuinely sorry for his actions, and I stood there frozen unable to tell him how I felt in the midst of his apology.

"I know your father made it perfectly clear that I wasn't to bother you anymore. And I won't. I just wanted to let you know that I am deeply sorry for my behavior and that my aunt and I are moving back to South America. She misses it, and in a sense I do, too. I have nothing holding me here now." Nahuel looked off at the trees.

"Nahuel." The words finally came, but they were surprisingly gentle. "I'm sorry, too. I know I said some things that hurt you as well."

"I'm just glad that you're happy, Renesmee. And I can see that you have a little one on the way. That's wonderful news!" His face filled with joy, but also with a hint of despair. "I only wish that _I_ was the father."

My thrumming heart thrilled at the knowledge that he wasn't, and I half-smiled at him. It could have easily been his child I was carrying if Jake hadn't wrestled him off me several weeks ago. It was utterly amazing how my life had turned out for the better from one single action.

"Well, I better go. Thanks for listening, Renesmee. I hope you can forgive me someday. Know that I'll always love you, and I wish you and your family nothing but the best." Nahuel stood there for a few seconds, his eyes longingly peering at my enormous belly. He then let out a deliberate sigh and disappeared into the woods.

The brief encounter with him left me shaken. Something about his wandering eyes didn't seem right. And I wondered if this truly would be the last time I would ever see him again.

**Attn: Please review! Thanks.**


	33. Chapter 33

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 33: What dreams may come (Renesmee's POV)**

I awoke with a start, my body resting against a pillow of reddish-brown fur. I glanced at the world before me, and all I could see was the forest. The morning light beamed down through the green leaves and the overgrown branches as I took in the fresh scent of the air. I could now detect the faint trickle of a nearby brook, and the wind lightly tossed my long hair with its gentle breeze. I rose up, and a cold, wet nose nudged me affectionately on the cheek. It was my Jake. Our eyes met, and I rubbed his furry head to let him know that I loved him.

Suddenly, another smaller russet-colored wolf appeared in front of us, and he leapt into my lap, greeting me with several sweet kisses on the cheek. I held him tightly and tickled his belly in turn. And then, two other identical reddish-brown wolves emerged from the woods with a shorter gray wolf at their heels. They happily barked when they saw Jake, the petite wolf, and me huddled together at the foot of a massive tree. I smiled at them, for I seemed to recognize them as if they were my own flesh—my own family.

Then, without warning, the trio of wolves before me fiercely began to growl and back away from us. Jake and I turned our heads only to lay eyes upon a towering, monstrous serpent, and it opened its enormous mouth full of terrifying, white teeth and hissing tongue. The perfect blue sky immediately darkened and lightning began to violently strike all around us. Instinctively, I cradled the baby wolf to my chest with my left hand and mounted Jake's back, grasping his fur tightly with the other. The three wolves ahead of us swiftly darted through the woods, and Jake followed after them, carrying the tiny wolf and me away from danger.

Like a flash, the baby wolf was stripped from my arms by some type of tentacle. I screamed out in horror for I had lost my new little friend, and Jake in response abruptly halted and shook me off to the ground. The giant snake now had the tiny wolf coiled in its flapping tail, taunting us and hissing all the while. Howling with rage, Jake leapt at the serpent, and the snapping jaws of the beast crushed down on him. Jake was no more.

I couldn't breathe and fell hopelessly to the damp ground. The last thing I remembered was the sound of the baby wolf crying out in pain as the monstrous being before me lowered him toward its tongue . . .

"No!" I shot up in my bed, my right hand held out in front of me. The woods had faded, and my bedroom at my grandparents' home came into view. I took a deep breath, glancing to my left. Jake was there, sound asleep on his stomach, his large body moving with the rise and fall of his breath. I instantly positioned my hand to my lower abdomen and felt the familiar bulge still there. I sighed in ultimate relief. There was no serpent. No terrifying jaws. Jake was safe. I was safe. The baby was safe.

Unwilling to return to my nightmares, I climbed over Jake and out of my bed, venturing down the hallway to the nursery. Streaks of moonlight poured through the window down onto the crib as I quietly entered the room. It looked a little like my nightmare—the painted trees on the walls, the tiny stuffed wolves nestled throughout the room. I closed my eyes, but all I could imagine was the four frightened wolves in my dream. They were all too real to me. Maybe, I had just seen visions of what was to come.

"Nessie, is everything all right?" My dad's voice startled me, and I immediately opened my brown eyes. What was he doing here?

"Yes, Dad." I pivoted my body to face him, one hand on my hip, the other wrapped under my belly.

"Nightmares, again?" I saw his eyes gleam at me in the moonlight. But I didn't answer. I could only open my mouth with no words to escape it.

My dad drew me into his embrace, enveloping me with his cold, stone arms. I instantly wept onto his shoulder. "I know, darling. I know. It was a terrible nightmare. But you're safe now, Nessie. Everything is going to be all right."

The coldness of his loving arms soothed me. I was his little girl again, and I wanted nothing more than to be a child in that moment—carefree, without worry, without fear of the future.

"I'm so scared, Dad. I don't know what to do." I barely mustered the strength to speak. My shield was wavering all about me. I didn't know whether I was actually conveying the words or relaying my thoughts to him. But I guess it didn't matter. He heard me nonetheless.

"Shhh." My dad held my head to his chest, letting me release my pain, my fear, my anguish. After a few minutes, my sobs quieted down, and he kissed my hair. "Come, let's play something. It always helps me."

He led me by the arm over the baby grand piano, and we sat down beside each other on the black bench once again as father and daughter. I could barely see the pedals for my very overgrown belly, and my dad laughed when he noticed it graze the edge of the ivory keys. "You were much smaller when we last did this."

"Yeah, I guess I was." I blushed slightly at his little pun.

"What shall we play, darling?" My dad grinned at me, his long fingers hovering over the keys.

"_Heart and Soul_." It was all I remembered playing with my father as a child. I knew it would make him happy.

"Yes, that's it." He cheerfully began to play the starting rhythm. "I'll play the chords. You play the melody."

"Ok." I smiled at the keys before me, waiting for the cue to come in with the sweet, little tune. We merrily played the song in its entirety twice, and upon the beginning of the third time, my little nudger resumed his game of soccer in my belly. I unexpectedly jerked, and my fingers sharply trampled on the wrong notes.

"Nessie, what is it?" My dad's hands blurred as he draped his arms around my shoulders.

"It's okay. It's just the baby. He must have got a hankering for a little dance just now." I crooked my smile at him, forcing my hand to my gigantic belly.

"Ah, another musician in the family. I'm hoping at least." My dad returned my smile, laughing. Then, his eyebrows furrowed, and he looked as if he was in deep concentration about something.

"What?" I asked him, puzzled at his sudden seriousness.

"I can read the baby's thoughts." I thought he was joking with me, but then he continued, "He loves you more than you know."

"He?" Was I the only one who couldn't hear my own child? This was most absolutely frustrating.

"It's just a figure of speech, Nessie. I don't think he even knows yet." My dad gently placed his hand on my stomach. The cold touch chilled me to the bone, but I didn't mind it. "But a grandson would be wonderful."

"Jake thinks it's a boy." I told him, placing my hand atop his.

"I know. It dominates his mind constantly." My dad chuckled, taking his hand away. "Have you thought of any names yet?"

"Yes, Sarah Rose for a girl." I felt the baby poking me in the gut relentlessly, but it wasn't so intense to divert my attention. "Edward Jacob for a boy."

"I'm deeply honored, darling. And I know Rosalie would be, too, if it's a girl." My dad pulled me to him, holding me tighter than he ever had before. "I just can't believe you're all grown up and having a child of your own. I barely got to experience parenthood myself."

"Now, you can experience _grandfatherhood_." I tried to ease his mind, and he delicately pulled away from me.

"That is what I'm looking forward to the most—holding my grandchild. It will be the second happiest moment of my life." His head tilted to touch mine.

"Which one was the first?" I closed my eyes, replaying his words over and over again in my mind.

"The moment I first held you." And with that, he wrapped his arms lovingly around me--enormous belly and all. My father knew just the right words to make me feel as if I was the most loved daughter on earth. And I know it sounds conceited, but maybe I was.

**Attn: Please review! Thanks for reading.**


	34. Chapter 34

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 34: Don't say a word! (Renesmee's POV)**

About a week later from that night with my dad, I awoke from my daily afternoon nap to observe something colored black and white resting on the bed beside me. I blinked and wiped the sleep away from my eyes and noticed a soccer ball positioned on Jake's side of the bed. Rising up from amongst the covers, I took the ball into my palms. There was a small Post-it note attached to the side. It read: TO FUTURE BECKHAMS—LOVE, JAKE. I smiled and clutched it tenderly to my chest. I knew Jake was working the evening shift tonight at the garage in La Push, and I couldn't wait until he returned home to show my gratitude for his little gift.

Later that evening, to keep my mind focused on anything other than my now protruding belly, my eyes poured over my worn copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ as I lay barefoot on my grandparents' sofa. The entire house was silent, and then, all of a sudden, I could discern a rustling from upstairs.

"Nessie, we've got a surprise for you!" My grandfather Carlisle shouted from the top of the stairs, the keys to his black Mercedes jangling in his grip. My uncles, Jasper and Emmett, along with my dad descended the stairs behind my grandpa, and I knew that they were up to no good.

"Another surprise, Grandpa? You guys are being too nice to me." I said to them. My family had been increasingly generous over the past week since learning the news about the baby. I wondered when they would ever stop—if ever.

"You deserve it, darling." My dad kissed me on the forehead and then called, "Bella? Esme? Alice?"

"Yes, Edward." They all retorted in unison, now emerging from the kitchen.

"Carlisle, the boys, and I are going to pick up something for Nessie. We'll be back in a few hours." My dad's mouth formed a smirk, and Aunt Alice unexpectedly slapped her hand to her face.

"We'll keep her company while you're gone, Edward." Alice responded, giving my dad an exaggerated wink; she must have seen what they were planning.

"Don't you tell her Alice! It's a secret." Uncle Jasper warned her, catching a glimpse of her exchange with my dad.

"Fine!" Aunt Alice tightly crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips like a little child. "I knew about the surprise even before you did, Jasper."

"And remember to call me immediately if Nessie starts showing _any_ symptoms of labor. We're not certain when it may happen. It could be any day now." My grandpa glanced over at me. A look of worry flashed across his pale visage.

"He's quiet tonight. I don't think we'll see any action for now at least." I laughed, caressing the belly that held my little nudger. It had been days since I felt him kick, but my grandfather had assured me that everything was normal.

"Where's your cell phone, Nessie?" My dad questioned, and I reached over to the coffee table to my right and held it up for him to see, "Right here, Dad. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Sure, you will, Nessie. We'll let you know if the phone starts doing tricks." My mom kissed my dad and hugged him. "Now, you boys get out of here. I've got a hankering for a chick flick, maybe the newest 'Pride and Prejudice.' "

"Sounds good to me." My grandmother Esme plopped down on the couch, propping my feet onto her lap, and my fellow "chicks" and I commenced our "girls nite in" as the men slipped out the front door . . .

"I love ya 'cause your deuces are wild, girl, like a double shot of lovin' so fine . . ." Steven Tyler's voice resounded from my cell phone about an hour into our "chick flick." My grandmother, my mom, and Aunt Alice looked over at me, their eyebrows lifted in curiosity. I ignored them, picked up the phone, and noticed that Jake had sent me a text:

HOPE U LIKED MY GIFT. CAN'T WAIT 2 C U. LOVE U. JAKE

"It's just Jake." I told them, and my heart thrilled at those simple little sentences. My fingers rapidly began to text him a message in return:

LOVED IT. MISS U. LOVE U 2. NES

I clicked the send button and quickly returned my eyes to Elizabeth Bennet and the handsome Mr. Darcy on the flat-screen. I giggled a little at the thought of Jake receiving my message.

Then, my Aunt Alice suddenly shot up in the recliner, staring blindly at the space before her. "Oh, no!"

"What is it, Alice?" My grandmother urgently asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Something's gone wrong with your surprise, Nessie." Alice quickly stood up and headed for the kitchen. "I need to make a couple of calls. I'll be right back!"

Just as she exited the room, my cell phone rang once again. I glanced down at the tiny screen and noticed I had another text. But it wasn't from Jake:

DON'T SAY A WORD. I HAVE THE BLONDE. COME OUT INTO THE WOODS. NOT A WORD.

My heart dropped like a lump in my chest. Someone had Rosalie. She was in danger. Maybe, that was what caused Alice's sudden alarm. Whoever it was wanted me, too. I had to think fast.

"Jake, again." I lied.

Trying not to frighten my mom and Esme, I cautiously stood up and slid the cell phone into the pocket of my pajama bottoms. I slowly tiptoed around the sofa and toward the front door.

As I creaked open the door, my mother called to me, "Nessie, where are you going, sweetheart? Need some fresh air?"

The message had warned not to say a word, so I just nodded to acknowledge her.

"Ok, call me if you need anything." My mother's eyes focused back on the TV screen.

I let out a short breath. That was close. I tried to gulp down my fear as I exited the house and staggered out onto the porch. The only sound that could be heard was the whistling of the wind as it roared passed me, lifting my hair gently about my shoulders. The forest lay out in front of me, and I knew what I had to do. I had to save Rosalie.

Without hesitance, I darted through the trees, holding my belly with both my hands. I hoped with all my heart and soul that my female companions wouldn't follow after me. Then, like a flash of lightning, something or someone seized me into its arms. It was Nahuel—his scent was fragrant all around me.

"Nahuel, where are you taking me? Where's Rosalie?" I tried to pry myself from his grasp, but he was much stronger than me. His grip was so firm about my shoulders I thought I might faint from the mere force.

"Shut the hell up, Renesmee!" He forcefully hissed into my ear, ridding my pocket of my cell phone and crushing it in his fingers. "Where I'm taking you, none of them will be able to save you—not even your precious wolf!"

* * *

"Ah, here we are." Nahuel said, throwing my body with all his might to the muddy ground. The pain in my back jolted through my entire body and then dissipated. Regaining my composure, I stood up in the clearing and began to run back the way we came.

"And just where do you think you're going?" His body now blocked my way from escape, and he violently flung me down to the ground again. "Don't you dare get up this time!"

I immediately threw my hands around my belly, and the baby started to kick wildly as if it was in distress. I angrily glared up at Nahuel, shrieking at the top of my lungs. "Where's Rosalie, Nahuel?"

"Oh, your blond friend? She's over there." Nahuel pointed over to a tree covered in moss off in the near distance, and there she was, tied to the trunk by her arms up over her head. I couldn't detect her scent; she appeared to be unconscious—but that was impossible.

"What did you do to her?" I growled, beginning to vamp out. I hadn't done it in a long while. My animal-like instincts immediately kicked in, and I forced my body into a low crouch.

"Oh, you mean, why is she unable to speak? Who would have ever thought _she_ would be lost for words?" Nahuel wickedly cackled, retrieving a small dagger-like object from the belt about his waist. "Do you know what this is, Renesmee?"

He held up the knife, and its blue blade glistened in the moonlight. The initial V was intricately carved in a repeating pattern on the blade and even on the handle. I had never seen a dagger like that before in my life. It was quite stunning, but terrifying at the same time.

"Of course, you don't. Your grandfather probably never told you about the Immortal Blade—the only weapon that's been known to kill any vampire it penetrates." His revelation made me cringe. I shot a glance over at Rosalie, my eyes wide with fear. Was she dead?

"Nahuel, if you've killed her--" I screamed at him with the fury of a thousand suns.

"You interrupted my story, Renesmee. That was very rude." He walked over to my left, and I hastily began to think of a plan to flee him. Then, suddenly, he kicked my belly with all the strength he could summon, and I fell helplessly again to the damp ground. The searing pain dispelled after a few seconds, and the baby began to malevolently jab me again. I decided that it was better to stay where I was for now.

"Now, that's better. Where did I leave off? Ah, yes, the Immortal Blade." Nahuel tauntingly began to pace around me as he spoke. "Yes, a European vampire hunter in the late 1800's discovered a substance that proved lethal to any immortal. So, he forged three single daggers from it. He went about the countryside slaying my father's kind by the hundreds. Your Italian friends, the Volturi, heard of his little escapade and vengefully put a stop to him once and for all. They took his three daggers and locked them away never to see the light of day again. Until now." Nahuel held the knife up to the sky, letting his eyes marvel at its utter wickedness. "It's amazing what sleeping with one of those wives can get you." His eyes turned hungrily to me, and I shuddered at the thought of what he might do next.

Without warning, Nahuel leapt on top of me, grasping my throat with one palm and angling the knife at my neck with the other. "Do you know how it's tortured me to think of that dog inside you? And now, you're carrying his puppy!" His breath was hot and moist on my face. I couldn't scream, but knew I had to do something. I lowered my shield and sent out an urgent message for my father.

_Help, Dad! He's hurt Rosalie, and he's going to kill me and the baby!_ My thoughts called out to him.

"Bitch!" Nahuel intensely slapped me across the face with the blade of the knife. He had heard my cry for help. "That mind reader you call daddy isn't going to be able to save you! He's miles away from here by now!"

And with that, the knife fatefully rose into the air, its blade gleaming in the yellow rays of the moon, and sliced straight across the flesh of my womb. I cried out in burning, terrifying pain, feeling my very life slowing fading away. The moonlight and sky above me were bleached by white spots now flooding my eyes. The searing pain was overwhelming--and then became dull. So this was what it felt like to die.

"Now, you know this blade is different, huh? You're going all numb, aren't you? You'll soon be dead along with that little monster inside you . . ."

And those were the last words I heard, and my whole world sharply dimmed to black.

**Attn: ****Now, we know what Nahuel was planning. I took some liberties with the vampire mythology here, so I hope it's not too bad. The Immortal Blade is my creation; please don't use it without my permission. Edward's POV takes over next chapter!**** Please review! Thanks.**


	35. Chapter 35

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 35: The Hunt (Edward's POV)**

I remembered one week after your wedding venturing with your grandfather Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett to the Port Angeles airport to retrieve a surprise for you and your baby. Upon hearing the news of your pregnancy, your Aunt Rosalie had finally come to her senses and decided to return to Forks. I would have preferred to meet her at the airport on my own; I had a few choice words to share with her. She had selfishly missed one of the most important moments in your life—your wedding to Jacob, and I was not about to let her miss another—the birth of your child.

As we neared the airport exit on the highway in your grandfather's black Mercedes, my cell phone began to vibrate in the pocket of my gray trousers. It was your Aunt Alice.

"Alice, is Nessie all right?" I anxiously answered the phone.

"Edward, Rosalie's not at the airport! She's completely dropped off my radar! I first saw her in the woods tied to a tree—but now she's gone! Edward, I'm scared—this has never happened before!" Alice frantically spoke into the phone.

I immediately turned my concerned gaze to your grandfather, but he had already heard her. Panicking, he made an abrupt U-turn on the highway, barely missing several oncoming cars. They frenziedly swerved in response, slamming into each other. I didn't look back, and neither did your grandfather Carlisle.

"We're on our way!" I snapped the phone shut.

Sitting behind me in the backseat, Emmett had heard the unfortunate news as well, and his thoughts wildly raced with worry and anxiety. Your Uncle Jasper lavishly sent out a burst of calming energy, but it ultimately failed. Alice's news was foremost in our minds. We had to find Rosalie and figure out what was wrong. With Alice's visions fading, I ultimately feared that your favorite aunt was dead . . .

About thirty minutes later, my cell phone suddenly buzzed once more. It was your mother.

"Edward, Nessie's missing! I can't find her anywhere! I've picked up her scent and Nahuel's! Alice and I are going to look for her!" Your mother's horrified voice hit me like a thousand darts to the heart. Damn that half-breed! I should have murdered him while I had the chance! He had waited until I left you alone to steal you away from us. I should have never left you there without my protection. I couldn't speak. "Edward? Are you there?"

"It's Carlisle, Bella. We're coming! Call Jacob! Let him know we're on our way! And find Nessie! I have a feeling Rosalie may be there with her." Your grandfather had taken the phone away from my ear. He closed my phone, and I gritted my teeth in rage. You were gone, and it was all my fault. I hadn't been there to protect you. I had let you down. I forcibly slammed my fists down onto the dashboard of the Mercedes, and your grandfather Carlisle placed a hand on my left shoulder and looked me in the eyes.

"Don't worry, Edward. The girls will find her." However, your grandfather's thoughts played a different tune. He was deeply concerned, and sheer terror clouded his mind.

As we neared the house, I detected your scent and that filthy half-breed's as well and immediately ripped the passenger door off the Mercedes. I carelessly chucked the door to the side and flew into the woods. I had to find you. I had to save you. Even if it meant killing your attacker or exchanging my own existence for yours.

Your scent--mixed with your mother's and Aunt Alice's--was getting stronger as I hurriedly darted through the woods in the moonlight. I ultimately dreaded what I might find once the scent ran out. After several seconds, I could tell I was nearing a clearing in the forest, and then suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks at the horrifying sight before me.

There you were—limp and motionless on the ground. I gulped, my entire being inflated with ever-growing rage. I feared for the worst. Nahuel had your mother and Alice cornered, placing his body as a barrier between you and them. Rosalie's body was tied to a tree over to your left. I couldn't read her thoughts, and I knew she was dead.

Nahuel loudly sniffed and then turned his eyes to my position in the grass. "Ah, Daddy's come to save his little girl! Nice of you to join the party, Edward!" _You can't win this time, Edward. I've got you right where I want you!_

I instinctively crouched down, and my animal-like nature started to take over. I would rip him apart for good this time. But then I caught a glimpse of something sparkling in his right palm.

"No, Edward! Stay back!" Your grandfather Carlisle had me by the shoulder. "It's the Immortal Blade—it can kill us!"

"What?" I questioned him through my teeth, my eyes not wavering from your attacker. There wasn't a knife in existence that could penetrate our skin—let alone kill us. What was he talking about? Anyway, I didn't care. I would do anything to save my daughter and my family.

Then, out of nowhere, a small gray being impulsively leapt onto Nahuel from behind, and their bodies angrily tumbled together on the damp ground. I stood up in alarm and knew it was Leah. The knife flew out of Nahuel's grip and landed fatefully right in front of me. Without thinking, I took the knife into my right palm, staring down at it in wonder. I had never seen a dagger quite like it in my life, but I knew what I had to do.

_The knife, Edward! Kill him!_ Leah called to me, her jaws wide with madness. _Hurry before he bites me!_

I flew over to Leah, who now had Nahuel pinned to the grass, and stabbed him in the heart. He thunderingly cried out as the blade pierced his pale skin, and his eyes gawked at me in horror. Leah dismounted Nahuel as he began to choke and gasp unsuccessfully for air. I forcefully stabbed him again, and he rolled over on his back, clawing his fingers through the dirt in a feeble attempt to escape. Thrusting the knife into his worthless body a third time, I growled at him to let out all my built-up rage at the thought of you—my daughter—and my grandchild ceasing to exist.

"Edward," Your mother grabbed my hand as I was about to mortally wound Nahuel for a fourth time. "Stop! That's enough! I'll shield us from him! Go to Nessie!"

Instantaneously, I let the knife drop to the ground and rushed over to find you, but your grandfather Carlisle already had pulled you into his arms.

"The poison has paralyzed him for now." Your grandfather Carlisle relayed. "Let your brothers take care of him. Get Rosalie, Edward! We have to get them back to the house!"

I hurriedly untied Rosalie from the tree, but before I could cradle her in my arms, a familiar scent made my nostrils flare. I looked up to see three dark, hooded figures emerge from the smoky fog; they were now entering the clearing. I knew who they were instantly, and they had picked the most inopportune time to pay us a visit.

"Carlisle, it's nice to see you again. Edward, Bella." Aro nodded his head at all of us respectively, draped in his black robe. Caius and Marcus erectly stood on either side of him. "I see someone has caused quite a problem for you here."

"Aro, we don't have time for this! My daughter and granddaughter are dying! We have to get them help!" Your grandfather called to them, beginning to head toward the house through the trees.

"Ah, yes, your granddaughter. Looks like she is all grown up . . . and is expecting nonetheless. I heard news that she married that shapeshifter friend of yours. Hmm . . . this is very interesting indeed." My eyes widened in terror at Aro's observation, but his thoughts immediately returned to your attacker. "Anyway, that is for another time. We've come for _him_!" He pointed his finger toward Nahuel's now rigid body on the ground. "_And_ for our stolen blade."

"_Carlisle_!" I impatiently called to your grandfather. I was in utter agony. We needed to get you and Rosalie to safety.

"Take him then, Aro. Now, if you please, we need to save our family." Your grandfather politely attempted to persuade him.

"Go! We have no quarrel with you. Our quarrel is with _him_!" I heard no more of Aro's voice, and our family along with Leah quickly took off into the woods toward the white house.

As we ran through the trees, Emmett stripped Rosalie from my arms and began to wail, clutching her tightly to his burly chest. "Not my angel! Not Rosalie! No!"

I couldn't believe this was all happening. It wasn't supposed to happen—not to us. My mind was racing with thoughts of the future. An existence without my sister—an existence without my only daughter—my life without you. If you ceased to exist, I would also.

As we emptied the forest and headed toward the house, I noticed your grandmother Esme impatiently pacing on the front porch.

"Where the hell is Jacob?" I fumingly screamed at her as we neared the steps of the house.

"I can't reach him, Edward! Oh, my God, what happened? Nessie? Rosalie?" Esme was almost in hysterics as your grandfather and Emmett passed by her carrying two unconscious bodies in their arms.

_I'll go find him, Edward._ Leah nudged me with her nose from behind. And with that, her gray body had absorbed back into the woods.

I quickly turned my attention to saving my precious daughter and sister, and we hastily dashed up the stairs to your grandfather's exam room.

**Attn: Please review and thanks for reading.**


	36. Chapter 36

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 36: Nightmare (Edward's POV)**

"She's alive, Edward. I can hear her heartbeat, but it's faint." Your grandfather Carlisle apprehensively reported as he laid your body across the hospital bed in the examination room. "The baby's still alive, too, but he's in distress. His heart is thrumming like a drum."

"Just tell me what to do, Carlisle! I'll do anything!" I forcefully shouted at him. "I can't lose her!"

Your mother put her hand on my shoulder, and I noticed her shield was flying all about her. I could read her every thought.

_I'm losing my baby! This can't be happening!_ Your mother's thoughts wildly raced through her mind.

"Take off her clothes, Edward! I need to be able to see the wound." Your grandfather finally ordered me, sticking a breathing tube under your nose and hooking you up to a heart monitor. He then pulled out a syringe, tapping it gently and plunging it into the pale skin of your neck.

I frantically did as I was told, and your mother assisted me, practically ripping your pajama pants from your body. I inspected your stomach only to discover a crescent-shaped wound lining the underside of your abdomen where Nahuel had cut you with the blade. As my eyes took in the gash across your belly, I had to grip the edge of the bed to steady myself.

"What about my wife?" Emmett provokingly yelled at your grandfather, plastering his hands firmly to the top of his head. His thoughts were nothing but panic.

"Rose is beyond my aid, Emmett. She's been stabbed by the Immortal Blade. The poison is slowly killing her. There's nothing we can do now." Carlisle gloomily responded, and Emmett fell to his knees, pounding the floor with his ferocious fists. Then, he hurried over to your Aunt Rosalie's body, now rigidly positioned on the spare operating table, and took her into his arms. He rocked her back and forth violently, crying out for mercy. Your Aunt Alice threw her arms around Jasper and buried her face in his chest. Your grandmother Esme weakly fell against the wall, sinking down to the comfort of her knees. This was all becoming a nightmare—for all of us.

I turned my attention back to your still unconscious body, my agony almost paramount, and your mother questioned your grandfather, "The poison? From the knife?"

"Yes, Bella, the blade Nahuel used was laced with a chemical proven deadly to all vampires. It slowly takes over your body--paralyzing you at first and then painfully bringing on death." As he spoke, Carlisle opened his medical bag, pulling out a scalpel and several other cutting tools. "He obviously stole it from the Volturi— that's why they came for him. They're the only ones who possess the daggers. Not that many immortals know they exist."

"Is Nessie going to die, Carlisle?" I demanded to know the truth. I couldn't take the anguish any much longer. It rocked me down to the core of my being to think of you in any amount of pain.

"No, since she is part human, the poison is having difficulty spreading throughout her body. It won't kill her, but I'm afraid she may be in a coma for awhile. I've given her something to combat the poison for now." Your grandfather made his assessment, frowning at the silver instruments in his palms. Then, he flipped on his cauterization machine and put on a pair of latex gloves. "We need to perform a lower uterine C-section to make sure the poison doesn't harm the baby anymore than it should. We don't know if he's immune to it or not."

"Just tell us what to do." Your mother's face frightfully glanced at me, and she affectionately squeezed my left hand.

"Bella, grab a blanket or towel to wrap the baby in." Your grandfather called to your mother, and she darted over the cabinets, frenetically searching for something to meet your grandpa's request. I let out a breath and prepared to help readily deliver my grandchild.

"Luckily, Nahuel's wound cut through the skin and some of the muscle. I won't have to make that much of a deeper incision to pull the baby free." Your grandfather's words made me tense even more. The thought of anything penetrating into your skin made me flinch. But we had to save your child. "Edward, when I cut, use the machine to cauterize the small blood vessels to prevent the bleeding. I know you've had training in this."

"Yes! Just do it, Carlisle!" I was about to explode in frustration.

Your grandfather's scalpel carefully sliced through your womb, and without hesitance, I performed my duty, burning the blood vessels with the machine and wiping the excess blood away with gauze. The sweet scent of your blood engulfed all my senses, and for a second there, I almost lost the control I had worked so hard to master. The monster within me was rearing his demented head.

Then, suddenly, everything started to move in slow motion. The forms of our family members around me began to blur, and I felt my head starting to spin out of control. My existence was about to change drastically in the next few minutes—possibly for the better. Talk about déjà vu.

"There he is." I heard your grandfather as he discovered your child from amongst the incision. Steadily, he pulled the baby from your womb, and your mother, her eyes transfixed on the sight before her, handed me the blanket from her grasp. Your grandfather suctioned the baby's eyes and mouth and then grabbed his surgical scissors.

After snipping the umbilical cord, your grandfather lowered the baby gently into the blanket about my arms. And the overwhelming warmth of the black-haired child in my embrace filled my whole being with bittersweet joy. Jacob had been right—it was a boy. I held the tiny child up to my face, and his eyes immediately opened. I noticed that they were greener than the most beautiful pastures, and they peered at me with such tenderness. My heart immediately swelled to twice its original size. I would have wept at the image of the angelic child before me if I could. I loved him already.

"Give Bella the baby, Edward! You have to help me staple her back up!" Your grandfather Carlisle's frantic voice awoke me from my daze, and I quickly handed the baby boy off to your mother. Your grandfather and I readily worked over your body until the last staple was placed.

Without delay, your mother and grandmother Esme meticulously washed and cleaned the baby and wrapped him in a spotless blanket. Aunt Alice brought you some clean clothes, and she dressed you carefully, her melancholy surging throughout her thoughts. Emmett was still holding and rocking Rosalie in his embrace; he adamantly refused to let her go.

While your grandfather examined the baby, I sat down in a chair beside your hospital bed, putting my head into my hands. I felt all-consuming, overpowering guilt. If I hadn't left that evening to confront Rosalie, you wouldn't be lying there comatose, unable to see or hear your newborn son. I had almost murdered one of your kind and thus had returned to the monster I once was. I hopelessly reached out and took your right palm into mine. Oh, how I longed to take your place! I deserved it. I was a monster who let his daughter and sister become ravaged by another beast.

"Nessie!" Jacob awoke me from my mental torment and practically tore off the doorframe as he flew into the room. Leah, now in human form, was right behind him. "Oh, God, why her? Nessie!"

I stood up from the chair, and Jacob threw himself onto the bed, covering you with his massive body. He relentlessly wept, and his thoughts were swirling in a jumble of anger, confusion, and sadness. My heart plummeted like a boulder down to my feet. My utter foolishness—and the monster within—had now caused someone else pain.

"What's wrong with her, Carlisle?" Jacob's tear-stained face glared up at your grandfather and then returned to your chest. His incessant sorrow was maddening to me.

"She's in a coma, Jacob. We don't know when she'll wake up—_if_ she'll ever wake up." Your grandpa Carlisle frowned at Jacob, wishing he had a better prognosis to report.

"And the baby?" Jacob's voice was muffled by his sobs.

"It's a boy, Jake." Your mother answered him and held the baby out for him to behold.

Jacob instantly removed his body from the bed and took his child into his arms. Your mother's lips half-smiled at your husband, and then she backed away and wrapped her arms around my stone body.

_My son._ Jacob's tender thoughts resounded in my head as his eyes beheld his child for the first time. And those were the only words they spoke.

**Attn: Very hard chapter to write, but at least we know the baby is okay. Please let me know your thoughts. :(**


	37. Chapter 37

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 37: Miracle (Renesmee's POV)**

My vision was blinded by vivid colors . . . the green and brown of the woods . . . the yellow beams of the moonlight . . . the blue glow of the dagger's piercing blade . . . the red of searing pain as it took me over . . . the black void of death slowly closing in around me . . .

And then, nothing but white.

I blinked and noticed that I was staring up at the ceiling. I looked to my left and noticed my dad, sitting in a chair, his head buried in his hands and resting on the bed beside me. In an instant, his head shot up, and he tenderly smiled at me.

"I'll go get Grandpa Carlisle." My dad squeezed my left hand, kissed my forehead, and swiftly dashed from the room.

And then, I felt the burning warmth of something on my right arm. I turned my gaze only to see Jake, holding a small bundle in his arms. His eyes attended to the precious cargo in his embrace, and I noticed his tanned hand was touching my elbow.

"Jake." My hoarse voice called out to him. His beautiful eyes flittered up and took in my face. He sighed, lovingly cupping a hand around my chin. He gently leaned over and placed a kiss softly on my right cheek.

"Hey, beautiful. I have someone who wants to meet you." Jake stood up from his chair and adjusted the wrapped bundle in his arms. My hand instinctively shot to my lower abdomen, and I felt the strange, empty feeling that part of me was gone. I then attempted to sit up, but my body was incredibly weak. My arms and legs felt so achy and sore; I had never experienced anything like this before.

"It's Mommy, EJ." Jake simply added. "He's missed your voice, he says."

As he smoothly positioned the tiny body into my fatigued arms, I instantly felt a jolt of strength surge like electricity throughout my entire body. The weakness and soreness left my being like they were never there, causing me to gasp as if I were taking in fresh air for the first time.

Jake's expression crinkled in alarm, "Is everything okay, Nes?"

"The pain, the aches—it just disappeared when he touched my skin." I peered down in wonder at the tiny being in my arms. My heart raced at the thought of holding my newborn child for the first time. I forgot the woods, my pursuer, the blade, the pain—that whole frightening scene with Nahuel dissipated with the soothing warmth of the infant in my embrace. I deeply inhaled, and his scent was incredible—as fragrant as rose petals. His head was full of curly black hair, and I instinctively kissed him on his forehead. A single tear escaped from my right eye and rolled off my cheek to the blanket below. His gorgeous green eyes gazed up at me, and my heart unexpectedly beamed with incessant love for my son. He was _perfect_ and looked exactly like Jake—except for the eyes. I had no idea where those green eyes could have originated.

"My little EJ." My voice was just a whisper.

"You mean he _healed_ you?" Jake's eyes widened in awe.

"I think so." I happily grinned, my eyes never leaving my beautiful son.

"What about the scar?" Jake asked. He then helped me pull up my lavender nightgown, and about a dozen shiny, silver objects fell from my lower abdomen. "The scar's completely healed! The staples—they just fell out!"

"He _did_ heal me." I peered intently at the wondrous child in my arms. My dad was right—his grandchild _was_ special.

"Wow, this kid's going to be powerful someday!" Jake gleefully exclaimed, letting EJ coil his little hand around his finger.

"He already is." I turned to Jake, anxiously desiring to know everything about my newborn child. "Tell me more about him, Daddy."

"Well, Carlisle says he's definitely mostly human, but he thinks he's still venomous, so I have to watch myself around him." Jake hoisted himself up on the bed and lay down on his side, snuggling up next to me. "He's growing at a slower rate than you did, but Carlisle seems to think he will fully mature in about ten years."

"Man, how long was I out?" I questioned him, running my fingers through the baby's soft hair.

"Three days."

"Oh." It had only felt like a matter of minutes, but I was glad to be awake and able to hold my son in my arms. "And about the wolf thing?"

"Carlisle seems to think he'll be able to phase when he's fully mature—maybe even before then. But when he does, he'll be a powerful, venomous wolf. Imagine that." Jake kissed our baby sweetly on the forehead.

"Wow, and with healing powers, too." I marveled at the tiny creation before us. We had certainly brought something utterly unique into the word. Our lives would never ever be the same. And then, I remembered. "Rosalie!"

Jake looked down and didn't say a word. His lips curled, and I knew my favorite aunt was dead.

"Is she . . . _dead_? Nahuel said the knife would kill her." My mind filled with sheer panic. "Where is she, Jake?"

"Over there in the other bed." Jake tilted his head toward the opposite side of the room. My brown eyes widened in shock. Rosalie's body lay limp and completely rigid as stone. "She's slowly dying, Carlisle said, from the poison on the knife. Emmett hasn't left her side."

"But why didn't it kill _me_?" As I uttered those words, I felt an enormous weight of guilt rest heavily on my shoulders. I sat there silently, tears streaming down my face, and then something came to me.

"Do you think EJ can heal _her_?" I asked, cradling my son to my chest and exiting the bed. Emmett's head immediately popped up, his expression full of hope, and I knew it was worth a shot.

Jake didn't respond, but put his arms about my shoulders, guiding me over to Rosalie's motionless body. I unwrapped EJ from the pale-blue blanket and laid him on his belly across Rosalie's chest. Emmett, Jake, and I waited patiently to see if he truly could bring my aunt back to her immortal life.

But nothing happened. Uncle Emmett disappointedly held his head down, running his hands exasperatedly through his short hair. I burst into tears again, and Jake pulled me into his arms. There wasn't any hope left for her. We had lost her forever. And it was all because of me.

Then, a loud gasp suddenly split the silence of the room.

"Rose?" Emmett literally jumped out of his seat, and Rosalie's right arm wrapped around the child lying across her chest. Her dazzling eyes focused on me, and she rose up and enveloped me with her free arm, still engaging my son with the other.

"I'm so sorry, Nessie." Those were the only words she managed to say. My tears were coming even faster now as we held each other there, reunited with a tiny miracle lovingly wedged in between us.

Then, after several minutes, Rosalie pulled away from me and glanced down at EJ. "Your baby is beautiful. Just like his father." I smiled at her; it was my silent way of telling her that all was forgiven.

Uncle Emmett tapped her gently on her shoulder. She sweetly handed the baby back over to me and flew fervently into his bear-like arms. They longingly embraced each another, and Emmett simply nodded at Jake and me to show us his gratitude.

I looked over at my Jake, and he endearingly encased our child and me with his arms. We were a family—reunited and together at last.

**Attn: Only two chapters left! Thanks so much for reading and please let me know what you thought.**


	38. Chapter 38

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 38: Phenomenon (Edward's POV)**

Three days had passed since you were pursued by Nahuel and had succumbed to the paralyzing grip of the Immortal Blade's poison. I never left your hospital bed, and neither did Jacob. As he held your beloved child in his strong arms, his thoughts rapidly channeled throughout his mind—thoughts of you in overwhelming pain, thoughts of castrating the filthy half-breed we had all come to loathe, thoughts of what the future held for the beautiful infant in his warm embrace. We were both extremely grateful to Leah for her actions in the clearing that night. If it hadn't been for her, our family's fate might have turned out much differently.

Your grandfather Carlisle heard word that the Volturi—Aro, Caius, and Marcus—had taken Nahuel prisoner and fled with him back to Italy. Huilen, Nahuel's immortal aunt, appeared on our doorstep the very next day to question the whereabouts of her nephew. Your grandfather simply told her that our Italian friends had come to collect him for crimes he committed against them. The horrifying events that occurred in the woods were never mentioned. I deviously chuckled to myself at the sheer notion of what they might do to Nahuel once they arrived back in Volterra. I really didn't care—he was dead to me. Still, Aro's observations regarding your pregnancy left me in fear of what might transpire in the future. But I tried to focus intently on the present.

The monster within me was struggling to be relinquished. He was thinking the very same thoughts as Jacob, cackling like a rabid dog inside my head. The other side of me also pined for my lost sister lying in the second hospital bed across the room. Your uncle Emmett's thoughts were excruciatingly painful to hear. He was mourning the loss of his wife, and I knew what that felt like all too well.

And then, I saw your eyes open on that fateful third day. The monster instantly vanished without a trace. Your precious, brown eyes peered over at me, and my heart became enraptured by the beauty they bestowed. You had come back to us.

"I'll go get Grandpa Carlisle." I lightly pressed your hand in affection and kissed your sweet forehead. I knew you needed this moment alone with your husband and newborn son, so I quickly, but reluctantly, left the room . . .

* * *

"Rosalie's awake!" Your Aunt Alice's thoughts verbally escaped her head as I heard the commotion upstairs from the exam room. Our family members were huddled together in the living room, diligently awaiting the moment they could welcome you back to the world from your slumbers. Your aunt Rosalie's remorseful thoughts now surged through my mind, and I immediately knew how she had regained consciousness. My grandchild was gifted.

I took off up the stairs, our family not far behind me. As we entered the room, Rosalie and Emmett were lovingly embracing one another, and you and your new family were holding each other tightly and releasing tears of joy. The three of you were indeed a family, and I smiled at your reunion with my crooked grin.

"What happened here? It's not _possible_!" Your grandfather Carlisle was dumbfounded as he took in the sight before him.

Your aunt Rosalie broke free from Emmett's grasp and threw her arms around your grandmother Esme. When she pulled away from your grandmother's arms, she only uttered one word: "EJ."

Every single pair of eyes in the room focused their attention on the tiny being nestled between you and your husband.

"You mean, _EJ_ woke her up?" Your mother's question resounded throughout the stillness of the room, embracing you and your son with all the joy she could release.

"Yes, he healed her." You withdrew from your mother and pulled up your nightgown to show us your scar, but it wasn't there. "And he healed me, too."

Your grandfather hugged his long-lost daughter and then sauntered over to marvel at the tiny miracle in your arms. Your aunt Alice and uncle Jasper's thoughts were swirling in wonder as well. It reminded me of the day our family first met you not that many years ago.

"Our family is truly blessed." Your grandmother Esme placed a kiss on her great-grandchild's forehead and hugged you intently.

"Yes, we sure have seen our share of miracles." Your grandpa patted me lightly on the back. "First with Bella, then with Nessie, and now with EJ and Rosalie."

And then, your beautiful, brown eyes turned their gaze to me, and I swiftly took you and your gorgeous child into my arms. Your incredible scent overwhelmed me, filling my heart—yes, even my soul—with overflowing joy. Our family was finally together, reunited by the miraculous child within our midst—_two_ miraculous children to be exact.

My Renesmee—my beautiful, sweet Renesmee was in my arms once again. My child, my daughter, my own flesh had returned to us and had endowed us with a precious gift. A gift of love, a gift of hope, a gift of life.

My mind immediately rushed back to the moment I realized that I loved your mother as I watched her sleep at your Grandpa Charlie's house those many years ago. It was the single most important moment that altered my existence for all eternity. If I had decided to stay away from her and never pursued a relationship with her, I would have never held my beautiful daughter in my arms or felt the warmth of my grandchild as he was lowered into my embrace in those first moments of life.

I knew in that moment that my existence as a vampire had never been in vain. I was destined to be a son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. I had been given everything I ever wanted and more even though I never deserved any of it. The voids in my heart were replenished in the moment I held you and my grandchild together for the first time, and I was truly and utterly complete.

**Attn: Last chapter will be posted in a few days! Hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think!**


	39. Chapter 39

**My Renesmee/The Choice**

**Chapter 39: The end is only the beginning! (Renesmee's POV)**

Six months had passed since that miraculous day when I held our child for the first time and was reunited with my aunt Rosalie. That frightening night in the woods trying to escape the clutches of Nahuel was all but forgotten.

Jake and I were walking along the sand of First Beach in La Push, joyously swinging our little EJ between us with our arms. We had just returned from our much-overdue honeymoon to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, my mother's home state. I had always wanted to go there as a child, and I was finally able to behold firsthand one of the great natural wonders of the world. The heat however had proven to be a little too much for Jake, and the air conditioner in our hotel room worked tirelessly in overtime.

EJ was now talking and running and playing; he was the light of my life. He was very similar to me when I was his age, able to learn quickly and pick up vocabulary with ease. He was about the maturity of a two-year-old toddler, and my grandfather Carlisle predicted that he would bloom into an adult in about ten or so years.

As far as we knew, EJ couldn't phase just yet; we realized it when he had his first temper tantrum about four months after his birth. Since he was male and part vampire, he was also venomous, and Jake had to be extra cautious around him. I was immune to his venom however, which allowed me to breastfeed him shortly after he was born. Since EJ and Jake could communicate with each other through their thoughts, Jake had warned him not to bite either one of us just as a precaution. We doubted he actually would though.

Our little EJ also was extremely powerful. He was able to heal instantly after being cut or hurt, just by touching the scrape or tear with his palms. Grandpa Carlisle told me that he believed EJ's healing powers came from Jake's ability to heal quickly as well. EJ's ability to heal through touch possibly stemmed from my power of communicating my thoughts through touch.

EJ never cried except when he was hungry or wet. He slept soundly throughout the night, and he held a particular fondness for human food, which was a blessing to Jake. He loved feeding him and rocking him to sleep at night. It was one of the most poignant moments of my life, watching Jake adoringly cradle our child in his arms. I couldn't have asked for a better father for my little one. But I should have known—he was always there for me.

As we strolled along the beach, EJ suddenly broke free from our arms and dashed his tiny feet across the wet sand. My motherly instincts kicked in, and I immediately held out my hands in alarm.

"He's okay. He's seen a shell he likes." Jake told me, now closing the space between us and taking my left palm into his.

"Your mind reading is kinda gettin' on my nerves a little." I jokingly confessed as we followed our toddler, who was now waddling down the beach and carrying a shiny, black shell in his tiny hand.

"Oh, come on, Nes. Don't be jealous!" Jake let go of my hand and draped his arm about my shoulders.

"I'm not jealous. I'm annoyed." I grinned at him. "You two are going to drive me crazy!"

"Now, you know what it's like to be Edward." Jake playfully tickled me across my stomach and then kissed my temple. "You know, with you and your mom's shield."

"I guess it's payback." I replied, watching EJ as the tide gently kissed his little toes.

Jake and I suddenly came upon a large, driftwood tree trunk lying across the sand. I mounted it and walked across the slippery surface with ease like a balance beam and then leapt to the sand, taking a seat on top of the dead tree. Jake positioned his warm body next to mine on the log. I leaned against him, and his arms wound around me as we observed EJ running in and out of the salty water coming ashore. He was laughing and muttering to himself; we both giggled at our child's utter contentment. We were a family, and nothing could take that away from us.

Then, suddenly, EJ tripped and tumbled to the moistened dirt. My heart immediately sunk. His body lay sprawled on the ground for only a second—he quickly pulled himself back up onto his bare feet. Instantly, he was running and laughing and playing once more.

"Don't worry. He's okay." Jake grabbed my right palm and brought it to his lips. "That kid's resilient, you know. He's gonna make a fine wolf one of these days."

"Yes, I know. He might give his dad a run for his money!" I told Jake, my eyes smiling at him.

"We'll see about that!" Jake affectionately cupped his hands around my face and sweetly brought his lips to mine. My body pulsated with a current of pure bliss as he held me in his arms.

_I love you, Jake._ I pulled free from his lips and sighed, closing my eyes and feeling the exhilarating heat of his palms comfort me. "I have something to ask you."

"I love you, too, Nes." He kissed the top of my head. "I'm all ears."

"Is there any room left in the pack still?" I opened my eyes, and my lips shaped into my crooked grin.

"What do you mean?" He pulled away and looked at me, his expression puzzled. Then, his smile widened. "You're not . . ."

"Yes." I simply said.

Practically jumping off the fallen tree, Jake swung me around in his arms and vigorously kissed me again. We were about to have another addition to our family, and he took the news exactly as I suspected.

"Hoping for another EJ?" I cleverly questioned him when he parted his lips from mine.

"Actually, I'm hoping for a Sarah Rose this time." He placed my feet on the ground and gazed longingly into my brown eyes.

"A Sarah and a Rose, maybe?" I asked, and I knew he understood my question. Twins did run in his family. "Grandpa Carlisle said he could hear two heartbeats."

And with that, Jake swept me back into his arms, twirling me around several times and returning his lips to mine. Yes, our family was growing—just as in my dream those many months ago.

"Yes, EJ." Jake broke free from my lips, and I noticed our little one standing at our feet. "He wants to go see Grandpa Edward. He's teaching him the piano today, he says. That's just great—my kid's going to be a fruitcake." Jake pursed his lips and rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Jake, let Dad teach him. He's only going to be young for a short time. You'll have plenty of time to macho him up later." I slipped out of Jake's arms and took our child into my embrace. EJ tenderly placed a wet kiss on my cheek and then touched my face with his right palm.

"Grandpa, now!" EJ impatiently squealed. He was even more spoiled than I was at his age. My dad was completely incorrigible when it came to his grandchild. Not to mention Grandpa Billy, Aunt Rosalie, Great-Grandpa Charlie, and the rest of our family.

"Ok, pumpkin. Let's go!" I carefully flung him onto my back, and Jake took my hand as we raced along the sandy beach toward our brand-new, red Volkswagen.

I didn't know what the future held for my children, my Jake, my family, or even myself. But all I knew in that moment was that I loved my two boys with all my being. I was utterly and completely happy. I had made the right choice.

And to think it all began with one ordinary, teenage girl and one lonely vampire as their eyes met across a crowded, high-school cafeteria . . .

**THE END**

**Attn: I am definitely going to miss my Nessie, Jake, EJ, Edward, and everyone else in this fan fic. Thank you so much to those of you who shared ideas with me (corey26, real life Bella, Tami) and to Twilight Princess and I_Am_Kate for the wonderful banners. I couldn't thank everyone enough for your support with this. Please read the excerpt from the sequel to this story, True Alpha, below. Please review before you go! Thanks again!  
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**The True Alpha—The EJ Black Chronicles** (Sequel to My Renesmee/The Choice)

By Dazzled~by~Jake

**Chapter 1: Oh, God, It's My Birthday! (EJ's POV)**

The name's Black. EJ Black. Today is my birthday, October 21. Technically, I'm only ten years old. However, I look about twenty-five. I'm quite unique--one of the only four of my kind. I'm what you might call a third-breed—a cross between a human, vampire, and werewolf. My mother, Nessie Cullen Black, is a half-human, half-vampire, and my father, Jacob Black, is a human shapeshifter or more specifically, a werewolf. My younger twin siblings, born only months after me, Sarah Rose and William "Billy" Ephraim, are about to reach full maturity in about seven months. My five-year-old sister, Bella Alice, is the light of my life; she's about the maturity of a ten-year-old child now. She is my baby sister, my heart, and everything to me. I would do _anything_ to protect her or any of my siblings for that matter.

I haven't however been able to phase like my father just yet. My great-grandfather, Carlisle Cullen, thinks that today is my lucky day. I've been so sick lately, throwing up constantly. My dad seems to think I'm about to phase any second now. I must admit—I'm a little scared. And I don't want to be afraid. My dad has always taught me to be brave, but the thought of turning into a monster is something I fear more than anything. Fortunately, my father has already been through this, so he'll be there for me emotionally and physically.

Did I happen to mention that most of my family members are vampires? Very strange, I know. Like them, I am venomous. I could accidentally poison my father with my venom—not that I would. It's just something I've had to deal with my entire life. My father and I have a very special bond—we can communicate telepathically. Supposedly, only fully mature wolves are able to do it and only when they are in wolf form. I also can heal by just touching others—a power I've rarely had to use throughout my life being around mostly immortals. I've learned that my siblings and I don't fit into the mold of what is normal anymore. We are a new species. And even though it sounds pompous—we are superior to humans, vampires, and werewolves in many ways.

"EJ, pumpkin." My mom's voice summons me from my thoughts, knocking gently on my bedroom door. "It's time for the party. Aunt Alice has been working hard all day."

Damn, my mom insists on calling me "pumpkin" even though I'm fully grown. When will she ever learn; I'm not a baby anymore.

_You're her baby, EJ._ My dad must have heard me for his husky voice is now invading my brain. _Let's go, now!_

URGH! I reluctantly pry my rigid body from my bed, grasping my leather jacket from the wooden bedpost. I take a brief glance of myself in the mirror on the dresser and comb my hair back. Man, I look like my father, exactly like my father. We _are_ practically the same physical age. My short, spiky black hair is just like his. My chocolate-brown skin is just the same as his. Our eyes however are distinctly different; mine are green, scary green, meadow green.

I throw the comb haphazardly onto my dresser and gaze across the room at my red, secondhand electric guitar. I like playing Aerosmith covers just for fun. I dreamed of starting my own band with my brother, Billy, but that dream died long ago when we discovered we were destined to take up after our father and become "protectors." I'm not sure Billy and I both want the destiny set out before us, but nevertheless it is bound to become a reality some day.

"EJ!" Bella Alice is now bursting through my bedroom door. I immediately scoop her into my arms, and she plants a tender, wet kiss on my left cheek. She is my heart indeed. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, lil sis." I return her gesture, flashing her my pearly, white teeth. I relish in her sweet scent, and my heart beams with love for this precious child in my arms. Her reddish-brown hair is all in curls, complete with a daisy tucked behind her ear. She is the spitting image of my mother. "You look beautiful!"

"EJ, Bella Alice, let's go!" My mom frustratingly calls to us from down the hall. As I carefully place her feet on the carpet, I take Bella Alice's hand, and she smiles at me with her gorgeous grin . . .

**GO TO MY STORIES AND CLICK ON TRUE ALPHA TO READ MORE :D  
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